Marcelo Bielsa’s Leeds United are top of the Championship and dreaming of Premier League football thanks to Elland Road hero Pablo Hernandez.
Victor Orta has labelled Leeds United playmaker Pablo Hernandez an ‘idol’ of Elland Road, in quotes reported by Estadio Deportivo.
There are not many members of Marcelo Bielsa’s squad who have been plying their trade in West Yorkshire for longer than Orta, but Hernandez is one of the few.
Eyebrows were raised when Leeds signed a 30-something Spaniard after a spell in Qatar while making him one of their best-paid players. But it’s fair to say the former Swansea City and Valencia midfielder has silenced those doubters in style, enjoying a late-career resurgence in the famous white kit.
In fact, Hernandez was one of the few players in the whole of Europe who reached double figures for goals and assists last season, joining Lionel Messi and Eden Hazard in an exclusive club.
The now-35-year-old hasn’t quite reached those heights in 2019/20 but Orta is understandably thrilled that he is still pulling the strings at the Championship table-toppers.
“Pablo here is an idol for his way of being and his professional attitude on and off the field,” says Orta, who was hired as Leeds’ director of football back in 2017.
“I learn from him every day. He is an example and his ambition is what guides us many times. He is a reference.”
Hernandez had shown signs of getting back to his magical best before the global health crisis stopped the 2019/20 season in it’s tracks, producing a midfield masterclass in the 4-0 thrashing of Hull City before orchestrating a Yorkshire derby triumph over Huddersfield Town at a rocking Elland Road.
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
