Leeds United are three games away from making a long-awaited return to the Premier League.
Sky Sports pundit Danny Higginbotham has claimed that Pablo Hernandez ‘has to perform’ if Leeds United are to beat Derby County and reach Wembley.
The Whites head into their playoff semi-final encounter against the Rams in a bad run of form and with their star man on the flanks losing a bit of magic in his game.
On the last day of the season, they were beaten by already-relegated Ipswich, who were down to 10 men. That defeat didn’t help Leeds’ cause because they were already deflated from missing out on automatic promotion.
Speaking on the Match Centre on Sky Sports News (09/05/2019 at 11:20 am), Higginbotham believes Hernandez needs to work his magic if his team are to be successful.
“He’s a player that can pick a pass that if you’re working on a game sometimes you can’t even see it,” Higginbotham told Sky Sports News. “He’s got these five or six yards in his head. Another one, who has a good understanding with Ayling.
“If Leeds are to get through then he has to perform because he’s the main architect of the team going forward. The most creative and the most inventive.”
If Hernandez can turn on the heat then there is no doubt that he is one of the best players in the second tier of English football.
Marcelo Bielsa’s side will travel to Pride Park on Saturday for the first-leg of their playoff encounter. The opposition team will be well aware that if they can stop Hernandez getting on the ball then it’ll increase their chances of beating Leeds.
Hernandez has played Premier League football before when he was at Swansea under former Leeds and current Birmingham City boss Garry Monk.
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