Pontus Jansson played for Leeds United against Derby County in the Championship on Friday evening.
Leeds United central defender Pontus Jansson has responded to Keith Andrews’s criticism of him on Twitter.
Ahead of the Championship game between Leeds and Derby County at Elland Road on Friday evening, former Wolverhampton Wanderers and Hull City defensive midfielder Andrews was critical of the Sweden international defender.
Andrews said about Jansson on Sky Sports Football on Friday evening (7:32pm, January 11, 2019): “I am a bit torn, if I am being completely honest. Sometimes I watch him and I think, ‘Yeah, you are the real deal. I think You could play in the Premier League in terms of your physicality’.
“There’s no doubt about it. He is a cult hero at this club, and a large section of the fans love him, no doubt about it.
“But statically they are a better team without him in it. I look at him at times, and he doesn’t play with a centre-half partner. He plays as a long defender wanting to go and do his own things, and at times, I think, he costs his side.”
Jansson – who joined Leeds on a season-long loan deal from Torino in the summer of 2016 and made the move permanent in the summer of 2017 for a fee reported by The Yorkshire Evening Post to be worth £3.5 million – has responded to Andrews’s criticism of him.
Jansson is one of the best central defenders in the Championship and is a key figure in the current Leeds squad.
True, the 27-year-old does have his moments, but overall, the defender is very reliable, and there is no surprise that he is hugely popular among the Elland Road faithful.
The defender has made 19 starts and two substitute appearances in the Championship for Leeds so far this season, scoring two goals and providing one assist in the process, according to WhoScored.
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