Carlos Corberan knows it won’t be easy to replace Lewis O’Brien should the Huddersfield Town enforcer get a dream move to Premier League giants Leeds United, speaking to Yorkshire Live.
There may be a great deal of mutual respect between Corberan and his former mentor Marcelo Bielsa. But that doesn’t mean the former Elland Road coach is going to let his star man make the 20-mile trip across Yorkshire without a fight.
According to The Sun, 22-year-old O’Brien has emerged as the top target for a Leeds side looking to add a dynamic, box-to-box midfielder to their ranks before the end of August.
What’s more, the former Bradford loanee would welcome the chance to hone his talents under Bielsa – a managerial miracle worker who could turn a packet of Wotsits into a Michelin-starred main course.
But with Huddersfield facing up to what could be another season of struggle, Corberan is desperate to retain the services of a diminutive ankle-biter who epitomises the club’s Terriers nickname like no other.
Huddersfield fight to keep Lewis O’Brien from rivals Leeds United
“I can’t be thinking about the replacement of O’Brien because he is with us. I know how important he is as a player,” says Corberan, who spent three years working as Leeds’ U23 coach.
“Just from the physical point of view, I know how difficult it is to find a player who does what he does every game.
“Every two days, he’s able to achieve 1,500 high-intensity metres, something that’s not usual in any player. I’ve not had the experience of seeing these values before in my life.
“So I know he’s an important player for the things he does on the pitch – not only the running, but also giving a lot of meaning to the running.
“It’s one thing to run and another thing to run with ideas about the situation that help you defend better or attack better.
“He’s a player who is winning a lot of battles in the middle and helping have a lot of impact on the team.”
A player who would rival the Hoover Dam in terms of energy output, O’Brien would have few problems adapting to Bielsa’s famously ferocious style of football.
The Sun claims Leeds would be happy to pay the £10 million Huddersfield want, albeit in a series of instalments rather than up front.
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