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Chris Watson

Leeds United's Jack Harrison reveals rare Marcelo Bielsa insight

Jack Harrison has offered a rare insight into what it is like to play under Leeds United boss Marcelo Bielsa.

Harrison is currently in his third season on loan at Leeds from Manchester City.

The 24 winger helped the Whites win promotion from the Championship last season and has made 18 appearances in all competitions so far

Much has been made of Bielsa's unconventional approach to the game and his influence on players - and indeed fellow coaches.

Asked about working with the Argentine, Harrison told talkSPORT: "When I first came here, it was really tough. It was like nothing I'd ever experienced before, in training, in football.

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"You'd think by watching us that we do a lot of possession drills and playing five-a-side and things like that. But we don't do any of that.

"So to come into a team and do absolutely nothing like that, to work on these drills and exercises that are so specific - you have to pass the ball a certain way and run in certain directions - it's very interesting to see how Marcelo sees the game and what he wants from his players.

"So it has been very unorthodox to adapt to this way of training and this style of play but, ultimately, it has been great for me as a player to develop and work under him, because I've learned so much, not just on the ball but movements and stuff off the ball.

"As a winger and as a striker, you know how important movements are. So to learn these different things and experience training under him has been great for me and really helpful."

Harrison revealed that communication with the Spanish-speaking Bielsa was not always easy - but added that the 65-year-old's English was improving.

"He's very passionate in the way he gets his messages across," said Harrison.

"He does all of his meetings in Spanish and we have the translator who translates some words.

"I think it gets a little bit mixed up at times!

"But I think he's doing his best to learn some English. A couple of weeks ago, he even did his pre-match talk in English. He had it down on paper in English and he did it in English, so I was really impressed by that.

"I think the players get a general understanding of what he's trying to say just by his emotions that he is portraying to the team."

In terms of his personal relationship with Bielsa, Harrison said: "With Marcelo, you don't get that approachability at all. He likes to keep his distance with his relationships between players.

"I think I maybe struggled with that at the start, because I always like to talk to the manager and see different ways I can improve on (my game).

"Not having that was a little bit strange for me but over time, I have learned to adapt and working under him now has been extraordinary.

"I've learned a lot, and in different ways."

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