Those at Leeds won’t like hearing it but former Player of the Year Pablo Hernandez won’t be there forever.
You wouldn’t think it when you watch him on the pitch, but the Spaniard is now 34 years old, and that means that he might not have long left when it comes to playing at the top-level.
Therefore, Leeds will need to look into replacing him sooner rather than later, and they may already have his successor in their sights.
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Last weekend, we heard from Alan Nixon that Leeds United are interested in Luke Freeman, and a look at the Sheffield United man’s numbers show that he’s not too dissimilar to the 34-year-old prior to Marcelo Bielsa’s appointment at Elland Road.
We’ve compared Hernandez’s last season without Bielsa to Freeman’s stats from that year, and as you can see, the former QPR man was actually better than the Spaniard during that time period.
Of course, El Loco’s appointment at Elland Road has boosted Hernandez’s stats over the past two seasons as Leeds’ chance creation numbers since the Argentine took the job have been mightily impressive.
If Freeman’s numbers can be boosted by working under Bielsa at a similar rate to Hernandez’s he could be a promising investment for the Yorkshire club.
Last term, Leeds’ number 19 completed three key passes on average each outing while also amassing 2.7 shots per match. A similar rise from a potential new signing, therefore, would only be beneficial.
Of course, the argument would be that the pair play in different roles, but with Helder Costa holding down the fort on the right this term, Hernandez has often had to play centrally, and Freeman would be an option in that role if he were to join the Whites.
Failing that, he’s also played on the wing for the Royals in the past.
The 27-year-old could be the long-term Hernandez replacement that Leeds are desperate for, and they should take the punt on signing him.
In other news, fans of a Premier League club have urged their team to sign one Leeds man.
