Former Leeds United striker Noel Whelan has said that experienced Spanish playmaker Pablo Hernandez is knocking on Marcelo Bielsa’s door for a starting place.
The £1.08m-valued playmaker has been missing through injury for the most part so far this season as Leeds have started excellently in the Premier League.
Contributing with nine goals and nine assists in his 36 games last season to help the Whites gain promotion, Hernandez’s return to full fitness has been an eagerly-anticipated one for the Yorkshire club.
Suffering an injury in the warm-up prior to the game against Fulham last month, the Spaniard is now available and Whelan believes that he is close to a return to Marcelo Bielsa’s selection thoughts.
What has Whelan said regarding a potential starting place for Pablo Hernandez?
Asked by Football Insider whether the former Valencia man is nearing a return to the Leeds starting XI, Whelan said: “I think so, it takes a bit of time when you’ve been out with niggles.
“The time he’s come off the bench he’s busy, he’s Pablo. What you see is what you get. He wants to create, he’s available for the ball all the time.
“Very, very forward-thinking you see the quality he brings to side, even if he only comes on for a very short amount of time.
“You see the subs and you think ‘wow, he’s on the bench’. It’s quickly becoming a Premier League squad of players from the starting 11 to the bench.”
Can Hernandez have an impact in England’s top flight?
By producing the figures that Hernandez has for Leeds over the past few seasons, the former Swansea City man has firmly established himself as one of the Whites’ best performers. The 35-year-old will undoubtedly be eager to have an impact in the Premier League in what could be his last season at the very highest level.
Whether or not he starts against Leicester City on Monday night, his mere presence on a matchday will provide Bielsa with a boost.
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