Marcelo Bielsa ended his final Leeds United tribute to Gaetano Berardi and Pablo Hernandez by holding up Oliver Casey as the perfect combination of both club legends.
The unexpected story has been retold by Casey himself in an interview with LeedsLive after leaving Elland Road for Blackpool this week.
Casey cannot thank the head coach enough for what he has done for his short career in transforming his game and improving him immeasurably since 2018.
In recounting his final conversation with Bielsa, the 20-year-old went back to the final pre-match meeting of the season, before West Bromwich Albion visited Elland Road.
“We had a pre-match meeting before the last game of the season and I was on the bench,” he said.
“In the pre-match meeting he was talking about Bera and Pablo leaving, then all of a sudden he just started talking about me, saying I’ve got a mix of Bera and Pablo inside me.
“He was saying I was a good professional and a good person, but I was saying to the lads ‘I can see where the Berardi is inside me, but I don’t know where this Pablo is.’”
This tale is one of many which underline how little we, and the players, know about what Bielsa is really thinking and how he sees the footballers he coaches.
Casey, with two cup appearances to his name all season, never anticipated getting a mention from the Argentine ahead of a match he was never likely to feature in.
Everyone saw Bielsa embrace Berardi and Hernandez as they made their exits on that final day at Elland Road. Casey admits it was an emotional last meeting.
“Everyone knew it was a bit of a special meeting because we all knew Bera and Pablo were leaving, but at the same time we still had a game to go and play,” he said.
“For everyone involved it was an emotional game because they’ve done so much for the club and it was sad to see them go.”
The Alwoodley lad was even more gobsmacked to receive such high praise from Bielsa because of how few direct conversations the pair have had since the latter arrived in 2018.
Bielsa may be the brains behind Casey’s development, but the defender admits, like so many others, the boss has always kept his distance.
“He’s a mysterious character, but no, he keeps his cards close to his chest,” he said. “I spoke to him a couple of times when he’s offered me advice.
“It’s been really helpful and all you can do with people like that is just listen and take it on board.”
He added: “I can’t thank him and his staff enough for what they’ve done for me and what they’ve done for Leeds as a city and as a club. It’s been massive.
“If you looked at me from the start of when he came in, to what I am now, I can see massive differences in myself.
“He’s made me a much better player and probably a person as well.”
