Looking at the promotion-chasing Leeds United side at the moment, it could be argued that the defensive unit will prove vital if the club are to return to the Premier League.
Of course, the only goalscorer during the Whites’ recent 1-0 triumph over Middlesbrough was 56-time Wales international Daniel James, yet the imperious centre-back duo on the night, consisting of both Joe Rodon and Ethan Ampadu, helped to keep the 22nd clean sheet of the season.
Whilst Daniel Farke will be glad a shut-out and a victory was secured at the Riverside Stadium courtesy of those named, he will be worried about the injury status of Pascal Struijk all the same, with the Leeds captain out again with another serious knock.
Struijk's importance at Leeds
After all, the 25-year-old centre-back just seems to be cursed with constant setbacks in this department.
Last season, Struijk was only fit enough for 25 clashes in all competitions owing to a recurring groin concern, with a new development now revealing that the reliable number five could miss the rest of this season with a potential foot fracture.
This would be a demoralising blow for Farke and Co, considering Struijk has popped up with five crucial goals this campaign from 35 Championship contests, including bagging a double against Sunderland in February to clinch a late win.
Moreover, the injury-prone defender has been dogged at the back away from these goalscoring heroics by collecting a hefty 14 clean sheets.
Whilst Ampadu is a sterling option in the short-term, Leeds aren’t exactly blessed with numbers in the centre-back spots with Struijk sidelined, making the decision to let this rising defensive star leave last summer for just £4m look more bemusing by the minute.
Leeds may have sold a £50m star in the making
Looking more long-term too, there had been rumours in the not-so-distant past that Struijk could leave Elland Road behind, with Serie A side Torino keen admirers.
Therefore, having more bodies at the back in the here and now would be extremely handy in preparing for this possible outcome, with Charlie Cresswell an ideal face to have around to shore up the promotion candidates even more defensively.
The former Whites number five would never quite make the grade at a senior level for his boyhood employers, despite having an “excellent” loan spell at fellow second tier side Millwall during the 2022/23 campaign – as it was labelled by Lions boss at the time Gary Rowell – which bumped up his experience of the testing division.
Much like his 6 foot 3 counterpart, Cresswell showed on loan at the Den that he had an eye for goal with five strikes tallied up from 30 appearances, meaning he could have been the perfect long-term successor to Struijk.
But, regardless of this standout spell in the English capital, the Preston-born titan would never make it at Elland Road, unfortunately, with only 14 senior chances handed to him before a bold £4m move to French outfit Toulouse came to fruition.
This left-field switch to Ligue 1 has worked in Cresswell’s favour, however, when glancing at his impressive FBref numbers below, with direct comparisons to be made between the 22-year-old’s improving game in France and Dean Huijsen’s current breakout season at AFC Bournemouth – the Cherries star noted among the most similar defenders to the Preston native across Europe’s top five leagues.
Attempted passes
54.58
59.81
85.57
Pass completion %
82.5%
84.1%
90.1%
Progressive passes
2.40
4.49
6.15
Progressive carries
0.34
1.45
1.18
Shot-creating actions
0.88
1.64
1.34
Tackles
1.39
1.54
1.05
Interceptions
1.01
2.10
0.89
Blocks
1.64
1.50
0.80
Clearances
6.76
6.78
4.49
Aerials won
3.57
2.71
3.60
Looking at the table above, Cresswell – who was dubbed “amazing” by Jesse Marsch in the past – isn’t a million miles off matching the £50m-rated Huijsen in various aspects of his defensive game, on top of also managing to better Strujjk in some defensive basics.
Therefore, if Leeds had just exercised more patience and didn’t offload the 22-year-old for £4m, they would already have a ready-made Struijk replacement to further boost their depth ahead of the edgy promotion run-in.
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