Ao Tanaka won his most minutes in a Leeds United shirt on Saturday as The Whites cruised to a 3-0 win over Coventry City on Saturday afternoon, as Tanaka replaced the injured Ethan Ampadu.
Skipper Ampadu limped off the field of play a few minutes before the half-time break. Ampadu told Daniel Farke that his knee wasn’t that bad, but Graham Smyth doubts that Ampadu will be fit for Norwich.
It saw Japan star Tanaka come on and play for more than a half in one go for Leeds, having previously only been given a few minutes here and there since his deadline-day arrival from German side Dusseldorf.
Tanaka looked tidy in possession and played a huge part in Leeds’ third goal. A gorgeous curling pass over the top for Wilfried Gnonto to chase, who then pulled the ball back to find substitute Joel Piroe.
On Saturday evening following the game, Tanaka’s first proper outing in a Leeds shirt was analysed by former Whites manager Neil Redfearn and he gave his honest take on the £3.4m signing.
Neil Redfearn impressed by Leeds star Ao Tanaka on Saturday
Tanaka is renowned for being more of an attack-minded player but on Saturday, he was required to be a bit more reserved. With Leeds already leading, importance was placed on keeping that lead on Saturday.
He did just that, constantly rotating possession in midfield and with the game won, Tanaka could then express himself and he did that with his long-range pass to Gnonto. Redfearn gave his verdict on Tanaka.
“He grew into the game, if I’m honest. The ball for Piroe’s goal, the ball he played into Gnonto – a 40-yard pass curling into Gnonto. He showed moments where the ball came into him and it was quite combative.
“He realised he had a bit of time. He took it down, played it off simple. Those simple things are brilliant. Just brilliance. His range of passing for the third goal, it was a great ball,” Redfearn told BBC Radio Leeds.
Ao Tanaka’s stats from Leeds win against Coventry on Saturday
The hype around Tanaka is large. His pass for Piroe’s goal was a taster of what he can do. A player with vision, creativity and goals, Tanaka even scored the winner for Japan at the 2022 World Cup against Spain.
Tanaka stats from Leeds win against Coventry:
- 93.8% passing success rate (second best behind Sam Byram, who played nine minutes)
- 30/32 passes completed
- Key pass to Gnonto for third goal
- Two tackles
- Two interceptions
Against Norwich on Tuesday, Leeds will have a decision to make with Ampadu likely to be missing. Farke will have to decide whether Tanaka is ready for a start against a strong side like Norwich at Carrow Road.
Or, would it be better to bring in a more-experienced Championship midfielder into the starting XI like new signing Joe Rothwell. It is likely that Ilia Gruev retains his place, and either Tanaka or Rothwell start.
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