Leeds United host Queens Park Rangers on Saturday.
Some Leeds United fans have been left baffled by comments made about their side by the Queens Park Rangers midfielder Luke Freeman.
Speaking to Talksport earlier this week, Freeman, whose QPR side travel to Leeds on Saturday, expressed his surprise at the Whites’ current league position – four points clear of third-place West Brom in second.
But part of his reasoning, that Leeds’ foreign contingent would struggle during England’s cold winters, appears somewhat flawed.
“They’ve got some unbelievable talent there,” Freeman acknowledged. “But they’ve got quite a lot of foreign players on their books who probably aren’t that experienced when it comes to Championship football.
“You’ve then got a new manager coming in (Marcelo Bielsa), which could have made things hard to adjust too initially.
“It’s lovely winning in August and September when the sun is out, but I thought to myself it will be interesting to see how they play in November and December time when you’re playing a thousand games a week.
“I did have an inkling they’d drop off a bit, but they’re still in a very strong position and one of the best teams in the league for sure.”
Indeed, of the 24 players used by Leeds in this season’s Championship, only seven hail from outside of the United Kingdom – all of which arrived last season.
That is three fewer than the amount of overseas players used by QPR throughout the same period – although one of those, Ryan Manning, is Irish.
And these Leeds followers have been quick to point out as much on Twitter…
James Webster @JDWebster1101: “Ignorant **** is Luke Freeman. Do your research before you comment”
Perhaps the Queens Park Rangers manager, Steve McClaren, who grew up a Leeds fan, will put Freeman right about his comments?
Which of Leeds’ foreign contingent could the Whites survive without?
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