A ninth placed finish rounded off a fantastic return to the Premier League for Leeds United. Most of the squad proved their doubters wrong and showed that they deserve to play Premier League football.
But it wasn’t a seamless step up for everyone. There are still a few players who haven’t quite proved that they are good enough for the topflight yet.
Today, we’re looking at three Leeds United players who disappointed this season.
Helder Costa
The arrival of Raphinha pushed Costa further down the pecking order at Elland Road and it’s not difficult to see why. His inability to dribble past Premier League defenders became even more apparent once we saw Raphinha do it effortlessly, illustrating the standard needed if the club are going to progress. Unfortunately, Costa doesn’t appear to reach that standard as of yet. His three goals and three assists this season not really being enough.
Tyler Roberts
The debate around whether Tyler Roberts is good enough to be a starter in the Premier League has been divisive all season. The answer is that right now he isn’t, but he could be in the future. Roberts is only 22 years old, but he only managed one goal and two assists in 27 games this season, playing solely as an attacking midfielder. Compare that to Rodrigo. The Spaniard started 14 games and managed to score seven times. Roberts is very wasteful in front of goal, and he needs to find his finishing touch if he’s going to make it at this level.
Pablo Hernandez
Nobody will ever forget what Pablo Hernandez has done for Leeds United, but it’s safe to say he won’t be remembered for his time in the Premier League. The Leeds legend was used sparingly this season, making 16 appearances with 13 of those coming from the bench. He failed to find the net this season, though did come close to a goal in his farewell game against West Brom on the final day. Hernandez will always be a legend at Elland Road, but he’ll forever be remembered for getting Leeds out of the Championship and into the Premier League rather than his short stint in the top tier for the West Yorkshire outfit.
