Football website 90Min claim that Pascal Struijk is likely to have a “few suitors” after his signature in the summer if Leeds United suffer relegation to the Championship this summer – even though he has been in and out of the side.
For the first half of the season, 23-year-old Struijk was the club’s first-choice left-back – above Junior Firpo. But his form dipped and after a head injury against Manchester United, he dropped out of the side and Firpo has come in.
Then, injuries to Liam Cooper and Max Wober saw Struijk start four games in a row at centre-back. But in those, we conceded a massive 16 goals. He has remained an unused sub in the last two games, against Fulham and Leicester.
Leeds remain in 16th. But we are level on points with 17th-placed Nottingham Forest, and a point above the drop zone. With our run in, it is looking more and more unlikely that we are able to survive. Next up is Bournemouth away.
The report from 90Min claims that if Leeds do indeed go down, then the defender – who was a part of Louis van Gaal’s preliminary World Cup squad – will have a “few suitors” interested in luring the “tremendous” ace away.
Struijk likely to have a few suitors after him if Leeds suffer relegation
Struijk has hardly done enough this season to show why he deserves to be a regular in the Premier League. But what he does offer, is versatility. The ability to play to a decent standard in a number of positions, while at Leeds.
In terms of his physique, he is naturally a centre-back but perhaps lacks the intensity required to cope with the Premier League’s attacking prowess. He can operate well at left-back, or in the middle of the park – defensively.
But, you would imagine that if Leeds do go down, Struijk’s chances of becoming a regular in the starting XI become much greater. If you are in Struijk’s shoes, relegation might actually help. An interesting one ahead of the summer.
