‘In the beginning’… 24-year-old Leeds player admits Jesse Marsch decision last season made him ‘nervous’

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Daniel Farke has gradually phased out much of Leeds United’s leadership group from the starting XI this season.

Luke Ayling has not played a single minute since a 1-0 win at Leicester City in early November, while Liam Cooper has started just five matches all season. Patrick Bamford is still waiting for his first start.

Farke has repeatedly told the press just how much of a key role all of them play off the field, though Ayling, Cooper and Stuart Dallas are all unlikely to be handed new deals with their current ones expiring in the summer, according to Phil Hay.

Pascal Struijk is the man who has been handed the armband for much of the season by Farke, but it is not the first time he has done it for Leeds, having done so under Jesse Marsch back in January at Cardiff City.

And speaking in an interview with LUTV, Struijk has spoken of the nerves he had when doing it for the first time, but believes he is growing into the role of speaking on the pitch.

Struijk growing into a leader at Leeds

He said: “I would say in the beginning I was always a little bit nervous. I remember getting it the first time and I was a little bit nervous about I need to speak more, I need to really show that I am out there.

“But that’s not really the guy that I am, especially in the changing room, so I do it on the pitch and I do all my speaking and stuff on the pitch because it is just more natural to me whereas in the changing room I might be a little more quiet than the rest because we have other people doing this stuff that speak in the changing room.

“But also in the difficult moments I am trying to improve myself, making sure I am a loud voice on the pitch and also keeping positive when we are in…I wouldn’t say rough patch but when we have conceded a goal or something like this.”

This is a role Struijk has certainly had to learn on the job, as he has not always been cut out for the role of a leader. Even as recently as Stoke City, he missed a chance to stamp his captain’s authority.

However, the last few weeks have shown it is something he is getting better at, marshalling the defence from centre-back alongside Joe Rodon, who have formed a great partnership.

That afternoon at Cardiff Struijk alluded to in his interview was a tough one for him, but his form this season in comparison to last, has been night and day.