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Noel Whelan names his preferred Leeds United centre-back pairing
Noel Whelan that he would currently pick Diego Llorente and Pascal Struijk to start next season as Leeds United’s first-choice centre-back pairing – insisting that Llorente is definitely getting the nod.
The Whites are in a remarkable position at the heart of the defence after a turbulent season. Marcelo Bielsa now has his five first-choice options available for the first time.
So there was plenty of intrigue surrounding what pairing he would opt for on Saturday as Leeds hosted Sheffield United at Elland Road.
Ultimately, it was Liam Cooper alongside Llorente. And the pair vindicated Bielsa’s decision, with Leeds winning 2-1. Llorente, in particular, was outstanding.
It will be fascinating to see how Bielsa uses Llorente, Cooper, Struijk and Robin Koch. There is also some hope that Gaetano Berardi will get a chance before the campaign concludes.
And when asked which pairing he would currently pick for the opening day of next season, Whelan suggested that the captain may miss out.
“I think right now, Llorente’s a definite from what I’ve seen,” . “He’s getting better and better. He looks really assured on the ball and off the ball, and very dominant. So he’s fixed there for me.
“Next to him, I’m going to go with Struijk, just from what I’ve seen. If he has longer spells of playing consistently in that team, I like his stature, I like his aggressive nature. I like the way he’s got that ball distribution as well. I think he could become a really, really strong, powerful centre-half for Leeds United.”
It has been a remarkable rise for Struijk. It is easy to forget that 12 months ago, he seemed to be one of the bright under-23s facing a fight to prove that he was good enough for the first-team fold.
He really got his chance towards the end of last season. And he stepped up when Leeds went into the opening day without Cooper.
Since then, he has been outstanding on a number of occasions. And it says it all that plenty of Leeds fans would probably have no problem with Struijk playing alongside a Spain international, ahead of a Germany and Scotland international.