Joel Pioe has endured an extremely frustrating campaign up to this point with Leeds United in the Premier League.
The forward was instrumental in the Whites’ promotion-winning season from the Championship, with Piroe bagging 19 goals to secure himself the golden boot.
However, it has not gone to plan for the 26-year-old in the top-flight, with Piroe starting just two games so far this season as Daniel Farke continues to brutally snub Piroe due to his lacklustre performances.
The Leeds striker recently broke his silence about training with an Elland Road hero, who could perhaps give him the necessary advice to break back into the starting XI under Farke.
Joel Piroe training with Jimmy Floyd-Hasselbaink whilst on international duty
Piroe recently pledged his allegiance to the Suriname national team over the Netherlands and received a call-up as a result of this, despite his lack of gametime in the Premier League.
A familiar face is a part of the backroom staff for Suriname, in former Leeds striker Hasselbaink, who will be putting Piroe through his paces whilst he is away on international duty.
Speaking to ESPN Netherlands on March 26, Piroe explains why Hasselbaink’s role on head coach Henk ten Cate’s backroom staff heavily influenced his decision to represent Suriname.
“Apart from the fact that I have a lot of respect for his (Ten Cate’s) career as a coach, what he has already achieved and what that can mean for me, it was mainly due to Hasselbaink,
“Because of the individual training sessions. He is someone who has already proven himself in the Premier League, who knows a lot about it, and from whom I can still learn a lot.”
Data suggests Joel Piroe struggled during his Suriname debut
Whilst training with an ex-player of Hasselbaink’s talents will undoubtedly be beneficial for Piroe in the long run, it did not have the immediate desired effect, with the Leeds striker struggling on his international debut.
Piroe played all 90 minutes as Suriname fell to a 2-1 defeat at the hands of Bolivia in their World Cup playoff clash.
- Piroe missed a massive chance for his country, which was his only shot of the game
- His passing was also wayward, completing just 16 out of the 24 he attempted
- The defender’s got the better of him in the air more often than not, with Piroe winning four of the ten aerial duels he was involved in (Sofascore)
Whilst Piroe’s performance will have done little to help convince Farke to hand him more minutes at Leeds, United’s manager will be hoping that, as Piroe continues to link up with Hasselbaink whilst on international duty, his wisdom and advice will be beneficial to Piroe’s performances in the long run.
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