Last night, Victor Orta and those on the recruitment team at Leeds were probably kicking themselves while watching Arnaut Danjuma.
What’s the story?
Well, back in June, the Dutchman told Voetbal International that he felt he’d outgrown the Championship.
Danjuma then said that a move to Leeds would be a ‘nice step’ in his career.
In our view, that was effectively a come-and-get-me plea to Marcelo Bielsa, although the 24-year-old eventually joined Villarreal in a £21.3m deal.
Now, it looks like Leeds may have missed out on a gem.
Danjuma shone against Manchester United at Old Trafford last night, despite Villarreal losing the game in stoppage time.
Of course, Cristiano Ronaldo will grab the headlines after his late winner, but Danjuma actually outdid him over the course of the game.
How did Arnaut Danjuma play?
The Dutchman was awarded the Man of the Match award by UEFA, which speaks volumes as he was on the losing team.
As WhoScored shows, Danjuma had four shots in total, with two on target.
Villarreal’s No.15 also recorded two key passes, one of which was the assist for Paco Alcácer’s goal.
Danjuma also embarked on three successful dribbles, and won one freekick.
In Ronaldo’s case, he recorded no dribbles, and only had one shot on target.
From a defensive aspect, he also registered one clearance.
For a man who was playing in the Championship just a matter of months ago, Danjuma’s transition to this level of football has been incredible.
He is surely going to keep getting better and better – in our view, Leeds may have missed out on a gem.
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