43 successful dribbles and 7 assists – Stats show that Leeds must hold on to their 32-year-old creator

43 successful dribbles and 7 assists – Stats show that Leeds must hold on to Pablo Hernandez

There are not many in the Leeds United team who will be happy with their contributions so far this season and Italian owner Andrea Radrizzani could be looking to offload a lot of players when the transfer window opens at the end of the season.

One player that they will be desperate to hold on to though, is their chief creator Pablo Hernandez, who, despite not always being first choice for the Yorkshire side (7 of his 34 league appearances have come from the bench), has always shown himself to be willing to fight for the cause and put his body on the line for the team.

The key stat for a creative midfielder like Hernandez is his assists and this season, Hernandez has 7, which is the most by any Leeds United player. However, interestingly for a player like Hernandez who has not had many opportunities, two of those assists have come in games away from Elland Road. This shows that he is prepared to stand up and be counted for his team even when things are more difficult.

 

For a player who is the creative hub of a team that is having a bad season, it is natural that Pablo Hernandez loses the ball a lot. However, the stats show that he has had more successful dribbles (43) than unsuccessful ones (40) and that must be another reason why Leeds United must keep hold of a player like him.

Despite the difficulty he has had in breaking down defences, he still is able to do a job for his team. If Paul Heckingbottom wants this team to launch an attack on the playoffs next season, then a character like Pablo Hernandez’s will be needed.

The only stat that would be concerning to the Leeds hierarchy would be Hernandez’s age – 32. He doesn’t have too many seasons left in him and we could start to see a decline in his creative quality as next season progresses. He will have to sit out more games and may have to play a little deeper to have more of an effect on the game. This is where Samuel Saiz comes in. The 27-year-old Saiz may have to step up to the plate and begin to deliver more regularly for his team.