‘I do not’: Pascal Struijk names one thing he’s not looking forward to about returning to Leeds

Follow us on Google Discover

Pascal Struijk has told LUFC TV that the one thing he is not looking forward to about returning to Leeds United is all the running players must do in pre-season training.

Instead, the defender looks forward to getting back into the groove by playing matches. The Whites begin their summer against Guiseley on July 27, before facing Blackburn Rovers at Ewood Park the next day.

Marcelo Bielsa’s side also face Fleetwood Town at Highbury on July 30, as the Argentine gets his players into shape. And will be keen for all of his options to be operating at peak fitness for the Premier League curtain raiser against rivals Manchester United on August 25.

Leeds took the Premier League by storm during their first season back in the top-flight in 16 years last term. Bielsa’s men beat Leicester, Manchester City and Tottenham Hotspur on route to finishing in ninth-place. The Whites were just two points shy of Arsenal, as well.

Struijk played his part in Leeds’ success with the former Netherlands youth international featuring 27 times. He will surely like to solidify his place in Bielsa’s plans next season, but is not looking forward to the running he must do between now and the curtain raising.

“I do enjoy pre-season, [but] I do not really like the running,” Struijk said. “But I do really like the progress to the games, and the games are really what you want to play, instead of the running.”

Bielsa’s murderball sessions could be an issue for Struijk at Leeds

Struijk has been at Leeds long enough to know what it is like to play and train under a demanding manager like Bielsa. And one of the Argentine’s hallmarks could now prove an issue for the Dutchman, given the one thing he is not looking forward to is all the running.

Bielsa is famed for his murderball sessions, a relentless period of high-energy work pushing players to their limits. But his sessions have helped the Elland Road outfit rise from the Championship and claim a top-half Premier League finish.

Bielsa is hardly going to now take things easy on his players. So, Struijk will have to put his feelings about running to one side and get to work at Leeds. Especially after the defender also told the Whites’ website that he aspires to reach the same levels as Virgil van Dijk.