Leeds United might have succumbed in the business end of the 2016-17 campaign in the Championship owing to their timorous run of form, but let us take some time to appreciate the upward trajectory which Garry Monk and his troops had successfully manoeuvred. The Whites moved away from the doldrums and carved a seventh spot finish in the English second division with 75 points and although they might have failed to ink something outstanding, there is little doubt on the perception that they have indeed grown in stature as a team.
It would be of paramount importance for Leeds United to dispose of their apathy of not having done enough to go over the line and instead aim for a promotion spot next season. Some of their key players during the campaign were brought to the Elland Road on loan or their deals are set to expire at the end of the season. So it is crucial that the West Yorkshire based club reacquire the ones they possibly can and apparently, they have done an action exactly what the doctor had ordered by extending Pablo Hernandez’s contract for yet another season.
Hernandez was brought on loan from Qatari outfit Al-Arabi in the summer transfer window of 2016 and was eventually signed permanently in January 2017 for a period of six months. An extension for another season is unarguably a fruit for his relentless toil and perseverance in the Leeds United shirt as he managed to bang 6 goals apart from registering 8 assists in 35 Championship appearances. It hadn’t been hard to deduce that the Spaniard garnered a substantial amount of creativity for his employers and at the same point of time, he brought the best out of their striker Chris Wood, whose contribution for Monk’s outfit needs no special mention.
With the likes of Modou Barrow, Alfonso Pedreza and Hadi Sacko anticipated to depart from the club, acquiring the services of a flamboyant attacking midfielder like Hernandez is seemingly likely to be a huge sigh of relief for the fans. The 32-year-old is a player of fine repute, has excellent ingredients such as his ability to hold the ball, create spaces for himself as well as for his teammates, ejecting key passes and knack to frequently test the opposition’s goalkeeper. Besides, he has bundles of experience as well and considering that extending his contract was the call of the hour, the Whites have done themselves a huge favour for their endeavours in the upcoming season.
Statistics Credits: WhoScored
