Is there a player as important to Leeds United as Pascal Struijk right now?
Maybe you can make a case for Willy Gnonto or Largie Ramazani as Leeds have rediscovered their attacking flair. Perhaps by his absence alone, Ethan Ampadu is worthy of being considered United’s most crucial player. But Struijk is, and has been since his return to the first team at the start of pre-season, the central figure who forms the foundation of Daniel Farke’s team.
The Dutchman now has the captain’s armband in Ampadu’s absence and the task of leading a patched-up side into the biggest test of the season yet when they head to Sunderland on Friday night. Ampadu’s absence is set to be lengthy and the extent of Ilia Gruev’s injury remains unknown. Max Wober is on the sidelines for six weeks, reducing Farke’s options for depth at centre-back, while Dan James, Manor Solomon and Isaac Schmidt are all in the treatment room.
It has been a cursed week for United as they teeter on the brink of an early-season injury crisis. Having endured his own injury frustrations with five months out last season, Struijk is the man capable of leading them through a week of long away travel and tricky tests on the pitch.
His pre-assist via Gnonto for Ramazani’s equaliser against Norwich was a classy, line-breaking pass which has become common from him this season. It does not always pay off but when it does, there are few better ways to get Leeds’ exciting attacking players in behind as directly.
Struijk is more than a defender in that respect and is willing to carry the ball into midfield and get something going as teams default to setting up in a low block against Leeds. He is Farke’s first line of attack. Though working the ball from Illan Meslier to Joe Rodon to Struijk and back again demands patience from supporters, it works as with their opening goal against Coventry City. The move began with Struijk and Rodon working an opening and was finished well by Gnonto.
But the attacking freedoms afforded to flair players like Gnonto and Ramazani only happen when built on a strong defensive foundation, which Struijk provides. The 25-year-old is Leeds’ best central defender and is the player they really missed in their slump towards the end of last season when the rock-solid centre-back partnership of Rodon and Ampadu showed cracks.
There was little faulting that makeshift partnership at first when Struijk was ruled out in December with a groin injury. But there was in the final six league games when Leeds lost four times and conceded 12 goals. Among them, a handful of goals came down the left where Struijk usually operates.
Since the opening day wobble against Portsmouth, Leeds’ defence has only been breached twice in the league with one against Burnley and one at Norwich. While Rodon has endured a mixed start to the season since signing permanently from Tottenham in the summer, Struijk has slotted back into the starting XI seamlessly. One of the only concessions has come from Rodon’s rash challenge on Josh Sargent against Norwich, which handed the USA striker a penalty that he duly dispatched. They remain a strong defensive pair even with Rodon taking time to return to the solidity he offered last season, with Struijk leading the way on several metrics.
Though it is still early in the season and eight league matches represents a small sample size, Struijk is making more successful tackles, blocks, interceptions and headed clearances of the two centre-backs per 90 minutes. Where Rodon is strong is when stopping runners — he is yet to be dribbled past this season by an opposition player — and he is still a formidable partner for Struijk. Leeds have some depth in the form of James Debayo at centre-back with Ampadu and Wober also options when fit but Rodon and Struijk are clearly their best pairing.
Struijk is a rare commodity as a left-footed, ball-playing centre-back and is a prized asset that United have done well to nurture and hold onto. Since signing from Ajax’s youth ranks in 2018, he has made 130 appearances in all competitions with 10 goals and is under contract until 2027. He has twice found himself on penalty duties this season, first with one taken and scored against Portsmouth and then one saved against Cardiff City — hardly a common thing for a central defender.
Stepping up to fill the role needed by the team is not new to Struijk either, having started the 2022-23 season at left-back while Junior Firpo was injured. With a less confident defensive midfield partnership in front of him after Gruev went off injured against Norwich, Struijk stepped up and swept up as Ao Tanaka and Joe Rothwell did their best in unfamiliar roles. It was enough to keep Norwich at bay for the most part but they are likely to face a greater onslaught against Sunderland who top the table after the early part of the campaign and have scored a Championship-leading 16 goals.
After his own injury concerns, having missed a training session before the 3-0 win over Coventry City due to an adductor injury, Leeds will be keen to protect Struijk in their last game before the international break. Even in a side at full strength, he is a leader worthy of the captain’s armband and worthy of being considered Farke’s most important player.
(Top photo: Gary Oakley/Getty Images)
