Daniel Farke has now been speaking about Leeds United’s Pascal Struijk ahead of the mid-week trip to Stoke City on Wednesday.
Struijk has now captained Leeds three times this season, including both league games before and after the recent international break.
And when asked about the captaincy choice, given Liam Cooper is on the bench, Farke mentioned the improvements Struijk has made.
Farke said that Struijk has massively improved his concentration levels, an issue the manager noticed before joining Leeds.
Speaking via Leeds Live, Farke said: “When I followed his recent season he was always there.
“There have been some minor moments when he was not switched on. You cannot afford not to be switched on.
“I spoke to him about consistency and 90 plus minutes [being] switched on, he was annoyed with himself.
As a centre-back you do not gamble, he’s adapted quite well to my demands.
“We were there with clean sheets. Skills with the ball, his passing, threat on set-pieces. Very pleased with him.
“The armband helps to give him responsibility for the whole group.”
It’s certainly no surprise that Struijk is faring so well under Farke in the Championship this season.
The £50k-a-week defender has looked excellent at times in the Premier League, even if he did struggle for consistency.
But Struijk’s versatility and physical profile was a huge asset for the likes of Marcelo Bielsa and Jesse Marsch in the top flight.
And if Farke has now helped Struijk with the mental side of his defending, he’s a formidable asset for Leeds in the Championship.
Another player who is proving massive for Leeds is Crysencio Summerville.
Again, it’s not exactly a surprise that the 21-year-old is thriving at this level, just look at this showing at Anfield last season.
But it wasn’t always a foregone conclusion that Summerville would remain a Leeds player this year.
Amid summer interest, it was revealed that people close to Summerville did have to convince him to stay at the club.
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