It’s an incredibly exciting time at Leeds United.
Marcelo Bielsa’s Whites sit comfortably in the top half of the Premier League table, having registered their third win from six outings with a statement 3-0 victory at Villa Park last Friday night.
Arguably as impressive and exciting as the performance itself was the ability to produce it in the absence of vital first-team players.
Leeds took the three points in emphatic fashion with long-serving skipper Liam Cooper sidelined, having joined on the treatment table by England international Kalvin Phillips.
But it was the players at Bielsa’s disposal that he elected not to include in his starting XI that offer the most encouraging signs.
Pablo Hernandez has arguably been United’s best player since suffering relegation in 2004, and the talisman during the Bielsa era, a vitally influential figure in last season’s promotion, with his second-half introductions so often pivotal in swinging games in Leeds favour during the run-in.
The 35-year-old playmaker scored 21 goals and registered a further 21 assists for Leeds in the Championship during Bielsa’s tenure.
Raphinha, meanwhile, a £17million deadline-day signing who decided against playing Champions League football with Rennes to join Bielsa’s project at Elland Road, is being made to bide his time for his full debut.
Having those two on the bench is a far cry from the many moments in the Championship in which Bielsa would look at his bench and struggle to find proven game-changing quality.
The pair of them have their work cut out if they’re to work their way into Bielsa’s favoured first XI, with Leeds racing to a three-goal lead at Villa Park without them on the pitch.
Patrick Bamford had completed his hat-trick and the points had all but been secured by the time Hernandez was introduced in the 79th minute, with Raphinha following four minutes later.
But we have seen some early hints of what they can offer, having played alongside one another for the final ten minutes at Villa Park before being named in the starting lineup for Mark Jackson’s Under-23s against Norwich City’s youngsters at Thorp Arch last Sunday.
With Raphinha out on the wing in place of Helder Costa, and Hernandez occupying the attacking midfield spot vacated by Rodrigo Moreno, there was plenty to be excited about from the early glimpses of their budding partnership out on the right at Villa Park.
Not least just a minute after Raphinha’s introduction, in which he exchanged a couple of one-twos with Hernandez before drifting infield to the penalty area, with the Spaniard crossing the ball into Bamford, who flicked on to tee up a decent shooting opportunity for the Brazilian.
If that was enough to whet the appetite, we saw plenty more of them in a strong Under-23s line-up that also featured the likes of Kiko Casilla, Tyler Roberts, Ian Poveda and Leif Davis, producing a comfortable 2-0 win over the young visiting Canaries.
As with Corberan’s youth team in the couple of years prior, new Under-23s coach Mark Jackson is looking to instil the same high-intensity and fluid style that Bielsa’s senior stars play. On this occasion, Raphinha - fittingly wearing the number ten shirt - played more centrally, while it was Hernandez out on the right.
The two were on the pitch together for an hour, with Hernandez withdrawn on the 61st minute, having put in a lively performance, underlining how brutal it was to include a player of his quality in a youth match with a delicately chipped through ball to Roberts in the build-up to Poveda’s second-minute opener.
Even by the recent standards at Leeds, Raphinha was given a free and fluid role in the midfield, looking up with Poveda on the left as often as Hernandez on the right, while his goal was taken like a number nine, having been played through into oceans of space by Roberts, nominally the striker on the day.
There were plenty of promising moments of interplay between the two players, too, with the highlight coming on the half-hour mark as Raphinha dropped deep, passing the ball to Hernandez with a cheeky back-heel before sprinting forward into the opposition half, played into space by the 35-year-old before failing to make the most of the dangerous opening.
Were Costa to be sidelined, with Rodrigo joining him or needing to play centre-forward, Bielsa can rest easy knowing that he has two exceptional players ready to step in. Not only that, but Raphinha and Hernandez look to be developing an early understanding with one another.
There’s genuine depth and healthy competition for places at Leeds this season, which bodes well for their Premier League prospects.
