Previous Preston game should convince Leeds boss to drop Hernandez and start Roofe this weekend

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Leeds United host Preston North End at Elland Road on Saturday looking to get their Championship play-off charge back on track.

Pablo Hernandez celebrates scoring for Leeds United

In Leeds’ last four games, Pablo Hernandez has failed to contribute a goal or assist, prompting several supporters to ask for the talented Spaniard to be dropped for the now extremely important clash with Preston North End this weekend.

The Whites are now without a win in two, having lost to Reading and Brentford and having largely failed to make an impression in either going forward.

With that in mind, perhaps it is time for Garry Monk to remember Leeds’ last clash with Preston when it comes to selecting his team for Saturday.

The two sides met at Deepdale on Boxing Day when Hernandez was only fit enough for a place on the bench, leaving Kemar Roofe to start the game in the number 10 role.

Leeds United’s Kemar Roofe in action

Despite scoring a key goal against Aston Villa earlier in the month, it was arguably Roofe’s display against the Lilywhites which best demonstrated exactly why the Whites wanted to sign him last summer.

Not only did the former Oxford United man open the scoring, but he also set up Leeds’ next two goals to hand the Peacocks a 3-1 lead by the time that Hernandez was introduced shortly after the break.

Leeds United manager Garry Monk

Roofe’s critics would suggest that he has not done enough on a regular basis to justify being given such an important role in a system where keeping Chris Wood in the game is so crucial, but he has played all over for Leeds this term rather than in the two positions where he should arguably stand the best chance of succeeding: attacking midfielder or up front.

And if the 24-year-old gets the chance in the number 10 role against Preston again and subsequently shines, then not only will Monk feel like he has a player hitting form at the perfect time, but it may also eliminate any complacency from Hernandez’s game that may have crept in in recent weeks.