Former Hull City defender Alex Bruce feels only Kalvin Phillips and Pablo Hernandez would initially thrive in the Premier League if Leeds United are promoted.
The Whites are currently waiting anxiously for the 2019/20 Championship season to resume from the enforced hiatus brought about by the coronavirus pandemic, as Marcelo Bielsa’s side are on course for a top-two finish after winning 21 of our 37 games to date.
No other second-tier side have won as many, let alone more, with Bielsa’s men also boasting fewer draws (eight) than all bar relegation-threatened duo Stoke City (six) and Luton Town (five).
Phillips and Hernandez have been pivotal parts of Bielsa’s plans this season as the Argentine bids to secure the club’s long-awaited return to the top-flight, with the pair starting 31 and 25 of our second-tier fixtures thus far.
Bruce feels that the pair playing well in those, and in front of a packed Elland Road, will place them well to make the step up to the Premier League next season, but his words suggest they could be the only two he fancies.
“I think the outstanding one is obviously Phillips,” Bruce told Football Insider. “I think he’s a very, very good player.
“You’ve got the likes of Hernandez, who have got the pedigree in the game and I’m sure will take to the Premier League.
“When you can handle playing for a club like Leeds United at any level and do well, especially in the Championship, and do well consistently in front of the big crowd and the pressure it brings, I think that because of those pressures they’ll probably find it easier than most making that step up.”
Per data collected by WhoScored this season during Championship fixtures, Phillips has recorded a higher number of successful tackles (87/135) than any Leeds player, but his total is only six more than Stuart Dallas (81/114) and from a higher number of attempts.
Ben White has also taken possession with 63 of his 80 attempted tackles thus far, while Luke Ayling (57/84) and Liam Cooper (43/59) are rarely wasteful with their efforts to deny opponents opportunities to score.
Hernandez, meanwhile, has been one of our most creative players – in what has been the league’s most-creative offence – but the Spaniard’s total 65 key balls is fewer than Jack Harrison (76) and Mateusz Klich (69) and only five more than the defensively-gifted Phillips (60).
What Hernandez has in his pocket more than most, though, is Premier League experience from his time with Swansea City, for whom he played 57 top-flight games, scoring five goals and assisting a further 15 over two seasons.
The 34-year-old’s experience will certainly come in handy should the season resume and promotion be secured, with Hernandez able to help guide those without top-flight football under their belts to ensure we are not only in the Premier League for a single year.
In other Leeds United news, the club have been dealt a setback in hopes of signing Victor Orta’s €20m target.