Leeds United legend Jermaine Beckford has backed Joe Rodon to find his goal-scoring form this season after he scored his third career goal in the draw against Bournemouth.
Joe Rodon rose highest to head Leeds level as the Whites finally found the net after Dominic Calvert-Lewin missed a hat-trick of chances in the opening stages.
Sean Longstaff’s strike after half-time looked to have put Leeds on course for a second consecutive win, but a late Bournemouth strike denied Daniel Farke and his side.
Jermaine Beckford knows all about scoring goals for Leeds, having helped fire them out of League One during his time with the club.
Now, Beckford has backed Rodon to embark on a prolific hot streak in front of goal, after he scored the third goal of his career against the Cherries.
Jermaine Beckford backs Joe Rodon to score more goals
Rodon is in a relatively strong run of form in front of goal for Leeds, having opened his account for the club in a Championship win over Derby last season. Prior to that, his only other career goal at club level had come during a loan spell with Stade Rennais in the 2022/23 season.
Speaking to LUTV after Leeds’ draw with Bournemouth, Beckford admitted that a lack of goals was the one area of Rodon’s game that was letting him down.
However, having scored a towering header in Leeds’ draw at Elland Road, Beckford believes that Rodon can put that right moving forward. The Leeds favourite said: “This is an area of his game that needs to improve.
“I think defensively, he is fantastic, the aggression is there, the pace is there, the awareness of positional sense is unbelievable, it’s really, really good.
“The only side that lets him down is in the attacking area. And we’ve seen today the positive sides of it. If he’s able to chip in with five, six, seven goals this season, and seven’s a little bit of a stretch, don’t get me wrong.
“But if he can get himself four, five, six goals this season, I think that’s brilliant. And that shows how much we’ve improved from set pieces.”
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Rodon stood tall for Leeds United against Bournemouth
Although Rodon will undoubtedly be delighted to have scored to put Leeds on the road to another Premier League point, his defensive work was equally important.
Rodon and Pascal Struijk have enjoyed a strong start to the season at the heart of Leeds’ defence, and the FotMob statistics from the game highlight Rodon’s impressive performance.
Joe Rodon vs Bournemouth:
- Tackles – 2
- Blocks – 1
- Clearances – 5
- Ground Duels Won – 2
- Aerial Duels Won 4
The Wales international won two tackles, made one block and five clearances, four of which were headed clearances, along with one interception and three recoveries.
Rodon also won two ground duels and four aerial duels as Leeds held their own with one of the most impressive teams in the Premier League this season.
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