Leeds United defender Barry Douglas has endured a tough time at Elland Road with Marcelo Bielsa seldom utilising him for the Whites this season.
Leeds United defender Barry Douglas may have had very little game time at Elland Road this term but Sky Sports pundit Matt Murray believes the 30-year-old is essential if a manager is to “cultivate a winning culture in the dressing room” (Sky Sports News).
Douglas joined Leeds from Wolverhampton Wanderers in the summer of 2018 for just over £3million (Transfermarkt) after having helped the Molineux side get promoted to the Premier League as Championship winners.
However, last term proved difficult for Douglas, a number of injuries seeing him miss out on considerable amounts of game time, and this term, he has made just three starts for Marcelo Bielsa’s charges, with a mere four minutes of league football since November (Transfermarkt).
Despite his current struggles at Elland Road, Murray spoke very highly of Douglas from his time at Wolves, naming him in his Molineux Team of the Decade, but as well as hailing his past achievements in the old gold, he also praised his all-round personality and contribution to the dressing room.
“On the left? I love Barry Douglas from the Championship promotion season,” Murray wrote on Sky Sports News.
“He was very unlucky not to get to play in the Premier League but his set-pieces, crosses, deliveries, wonder goals earn him a spot. He’s a top lad, too – and if you’re trying to cultivate a winning culture in the dressing room, he has to be in there.”
Douglas is currently out with illness, as confirmed by Bielsa, and is not expected to feature against Preston North End at Elland Road on Boxing Day (Yorkshire Evening Post).
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