Marcelo Bielsa said £1m star was Premier League level and now he’s showing signs away from Leeds United

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Marcelo Bielsa made some great players at Leeds United, but one he really enjoyed might surprise you.

Pablo Hernandez, Mateusz Klich, and Ben White – these are all players with whom Bielsa thrived with and created an incredible structure with at Leeds.

Whites fans adore this trio, even if some weren’t at the club for as long as they would’ve wanted.

Hernandez hopes Leeds get promotion, and you’d imagine the other pair will hope for the same.

Whether promotion is secured under Daniel Farke will be revealed very soon, but Bielsa worked his magic, and it seemed like he had a favourite.

Marcelo Bielsa said £1m star was Premier League level at Leeds United

As mentioned, Bielsa could do no wrong at Leeds, creating a unique atmosphere around the club and seemingly bringing back the old days of Leeds history.

Liam Cooper said Bielsa ‘galvanised’ Leeds, which is certainly one way to put it, as who knows whether the Argentine manager will be spotted around Yorkshire again.

He was excellent at his craft and managed to inspire talent who have gone on to brilliant things, Bielsa convinced Raphinha to join Leeds, and if he hadn’t, the Brazilian might not be in the running for the Ballon d’Or today.

But Joe Gelhardt was a player the former Leeds boss really took a liking to, and he would no doubt be an integral part of the squad now.

During the 21/22 Premier League season, the young striker was breaking through into the first-team squad, and Bielsa had a fantastic impact on him.

Speaking to SkySports in 2021, the former Whites manager was in awe of Gelhardt who had taken to the Premier League instantly at the age of 19.

“It didn’t surprise me that he was able to compete at this level as he has worked hard to deserve these opportunities,” Bielsa said.

“He has shown me that he is someone who has the right tools to have an impact without any problems.

“He’s a player that always creates danger in a game. He’s a player who’s more linked with the finishing of chances rather than the creation of them, but he has resources to beat an opponent, and he has a final shot, a finish that is very good.”

“He’s like a human wrecking ball. I like him, he’s really exciting.

“He’s fast, he’s aggressive, he gets on the ball, he takes people on. Once he gets into the box, he loves it. That’s where he can do most of his damage.”

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Gelhardt has proven Leeds wrong but Bielsa right at Hull City so far

Gelhardt arrived at Elland Road for £1m from Wigan Athletic as the young forward had a lot of promise.

Bielsa nurtured this promise, and it seemed like he was going to be a mainstay in the Argentine’s side, that was until the sacking of Bielsa in 2022.

But the Argentine had an eye for these types of players, and Gelhardt has proven exactly why Leeds should’ve kept him on after his start to his Hull City loan spell.

This proves Gelhardt is more than just a traditional striker like Bielsa said, as his ‘wrecking ball’ like nature shines through and has got Hull fans wanting to sign Gelhardt permanently.

If Farke chooses to let him go, it might be the best thing for his career, but Bielsa out of all people, will tell you how big of a mistake it will be.