The English Football League, and those who manage in it, have undervalued Pablo Hernandez recently, with his omissions from the official Team of the Season and March Player of the Month Award staggering, if nothing else.
Our midfield genius is set to be rewarded for his supreme efforts at Elland Road by the club, though, as Football Insider believe the 34-year-old will be given a one-year contract extension should we secure promotion to the Premier League.
The clause can only be triggered this year or next, however, as the agreement reached to extend his stint in West Yorkshire in April 2018 only stipulated it’s validity while the contract was active.
It can also only be triggered by us securing a top-flight berth for the following campaign, which we will hopefully do over the coming weeks – maybe even this weekend if results go our way.
To offer Hernandez another year on his current deal – which runs until June 30, 2020 – is a great deal of trust by the club, as there are no guarantees the Spaniard will still be able to offer something to the side in a few years time, especially given he will be 36 when it would expire.
He has been instrumental to our campaign this year, though, and extending Hernandez’s time with us would be sure to delight many fans, who have grown fond of the Valencia product.
Without his twelve goals and twelve assists we would certainly not be finding ourselves in a situation where we could be a top-flight-bound side by Tuesday, as his strikes have been decisive on three occasions, saved a point on another, and his assists have led to eight wins.