Joe Rothwell shares how he really feels about playing alongside Leeds United star Ao Tanaka in new-look Elland Road midfield

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It is now seven consecutive Championship matches that Joe Rothwell and Ao Tanaka have started in the middle of the park for Leeds United, and Rothwell has given his verdict on their partnership.

Ethan Ampadu picked up a long-term knee injury in the 3-0 win against Coventry City, before 20 minutes into the next game against Norwich, Ilia Gruev limped off and required surgery on another knee issue.

It saw an untested midfield of Tanaka and Rothwell play for the remainder of the Norwich clash, as the two sides drew 1-1 at Carrow Road against Daniel Farke’s old side. Since then, the duo have flourished.

Numerous man-of-the-match awards have followed for both, with Tanaka winning Leeds’ Player of the Month award for October. Stuart Dallas thinks Rothwell is set to give Farke a headache in due course.

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Joe Rothwell shares his feelings on playing alongside Ao Tanaka

Japan star Tanaka has been in stunning form, not just for Leeds but for Japan too. On Tuesday, Tanaka helped Japan beat China 3-1 away from home – and is more than likely to start against Swansea next.

There were concerns that Rothwell and Tanaka were too attacking, and the defensive nous of Ampadu and Gruev would go missing. But Rothwell feels that he and Tanaka have shown they can go without.

“It’s been good. We’re probably similar types of players in terms of we want to go forward more than we want to do the defensive side of stuff, but I feel like we’ve complemented each other really well.

“I feel like each game we’re building a better understanding of each other. That defensive side was questioned, probably in the Norwich [City] game when it was a fresh partnership,” he told Leeds Live.

“Each game we’ve gone on, we’ve managed to show we can do that side of the game we’ve looked quite strong in there. When we do get on the ball, we try and do what we are good at and help the team.”

Leeds form compared with Tanaka and Rothwell in midfield

Even after the Norwich game, Rothwell admitted Leeds had lost a touch of defensive solidity without Gruev and Ampadu. But, the stats show that actually, it’s hardly made a difference despite the change.

Ampadu is ahead of schedule and could return towards the end of December, which is when Gruev is also expected back. With the duo returning, it will be interesting to see who Farke will start with in midfield.

There is no doubting that when fit, Ampadu will start in midfield. But who partners the Welshman? The chances are that Tanaka comes in and is given more of a free role, but Rothwell has staked his claim.