Leeds United were very disappointing in their last Premier League match in which they lost 1-0 to Brighton and Noel Whelan has picked out one player in particular for criticism.

What Whelan had to say

Speaking to Football Insider about Pascal Struijk, Whelan said: "There were too many six out of 10s all over the field, in my opinion. When you’re looking for 10 out of 10s, there’s none there, they were all average performances. Yes, they upped their performances a little bit in the second half but there wasn’t enough quality.

"I think Struijk looks out of place, playing Kalvin’s role. I’ve got to say I don’t think there’s anyone that can play Kalvin’s role in the team which is worrying for me. When he’s out we don’t seem to have that flow in our game going forward and the discipline in the defensive role. There weren’t too many players out there who covered themselves in glory."

Struijk was not at his best

The defensive midfielder picked up a match rating of 6.9 for his performance (SofaScore). He lost four aerial duels and two ground duels, whilst he also gave possession away 13 times.

Filling in for Kalvin Phillips is very hard to do as the Englishman has had a great season so far. Defensively he has managed 2.9 tackles and 1.7 interceptions per game (WhoScored) and having this type of player in the starting eleven is crucial as he helps break up opposition attacks.

If Struijk does not put in the performances needed when covering for Phillips, Marcelo Bielsa might have to look for another option either in the squad or in the transfer window.

In other news, find out whose return from injury has been deemed ‘massive’ here!