Here is the Leeds United morning digest for Friday, April 2.
Hernandez helped Llorente transfer
Diego Llorente has revealed the role Pablo Hernandez played in his move to Leeds United last year.
Llorente joined Leeds from Real Sociedad in September for a fee in the region of £18m as the club bolstered their ranks following promotion to the Premier League.
The centre-back says the chance to play for Marcelo Bielsa in a “stable, ambitious project” was too good to turn down, but he still called Leeds stalwart and fellow Spaniard Pablo Hernandez before moving.
“The first thing I did was get Pablo Hernandez’s number and call him,” he told The Guardian.
“People in Spain don’t realise what he means to Leeds: he’s a legend, one of the main reasons they’re in the Premier League.
“I didn’t just ask him about the team but the city, my teammates, the day to day. And he only had good things to say.
“I knew from him that the club was well run and then when I met with Víctor [Orta, the director of football] and he showed me how Leeds operate, how they work, everything they’d done, I didn’t think twice.
“It was the style of play I wanted, the club that best fit my qualities, and playing in the Premier League was a dream I’d had since I was small.”
Bielsa says Rodrigo already worth £26m
Marcelo Bielsa believes Rodrigo has already justified his transfer fee with his performances for Leeds United this season.
Rodrigo joined Leeds from Valencia in a club-record £26m transfer in August but has so far contributed just three goals and one assist in the Premier League.
The Spaniard has struggled with injuries and coronavirus, but Bielsa says he has already shown his quality with Leeds.
Asked in his pre-match press conference if fans can expect to see the best of Rodrigo next season, Bielsa replied: “No, immediately. He will be able to show the resources he has.”
He added: “He arrived in his best version. He was at his best level prior to injuring himself at Leicester [on January 31].
“The level he was at during that period was a very good one. What he was giving to the team with the way he can unbalance an opponent was all very positive.
“For me, Rodrigo has already shown how important he can be to Leeds. He has also justified with the conditions, the abilities he has, his transfer fee.”
Phillips faces disciplinary tightrope
Leeds midfielder Kalvin Phillips needs to be careful in the coming Premier League games against Sheffield United, Manchester City and Liverpool.
Phillips has picked up seven yellow cards in the top flight this season, more than any other Whites player, with Mateusz Klich on six and Luke Ayling and Stuart Dallas currently on five cautions.
He needs to tread a bit more carefully over the next three weeks in order to avoid a two-match ban.
The cut-off for a suspension for 10 yellow cards comes after the Liverpool match on April 19, meaning Phillips must avoid being cautioned in each of his next three matches, otherwise he would miss the Premier League games against Manchester United and Brighton.
