Former Leeds United defender Danny Mills has gushed over Tyler Roberts’ talents, noting that the Wales international offers Marcelo Bielsa something extra to the normal breed of attacking midfielders.
Roberts began his career at Elland Road as a centre-forward after Kemar Roofe picked up a calf problem in training back in September 2018, but was later moved into midfield by the boss, who deployed the West Brom product as a wide and central option over the back half of last season.
Bielsa has continued to prefer Roberts as a midfield option this term, too, with the 20-year-old deployed in the central attacking role for four of his nine league outings, along with two on the left-flank and once on the right to go with two up top.
The boss was forced to bring Roberts off after just 35 minutes on Tuesday night as the £3.6million-rated Wales international felt something in his muscle, and it was decided by the club’s medical team that it was not worth the risk of keeping Roberts on, despite his intentions to continue.
Without Roberts, we went on to win 1-0 with his replacement Helder Costa assisting Jack Harrison’s late winner, but Mills is in no doubt of Roberts’ talents.
“You used to have these players who were 5 ft 8, 5 ft 9 playing in the hole, tricky little players, but he’s tall, he’s powerful, [and] he runs with the ball,” former England international Mills told Football Insider.
“He’s just a different dimension – he’s an athlete. David Pleat was always fabulous. [He’d say] if you have two players of exact equal ability, would you rather have a good big’un or a good little’un? You’d always go with the big’un, because they offer that little bit more.”
What is Roberts' best position?
Striker
Left-wing
Right-wing
Central
Tuesday night was Robert’s fourth start of the league season after an injury-disrupted start to the campaign, having been forced to have fluid drained from his knee at the conclusion of last term.
The 5 ft 10 ace has played a total of 393 minutes in the second-tier this term after his early exit at Reading, but has played a combined four key passes, completed one dribble, fashioned ten shots and won four of five aerial duels, per WhoScored data.