"He is a complete footballer" - Leeds United never looked back after Ajax's Pascal Struijk decision | OneFootball

We asked our Leeds United fan pundit about the time his club signed a player with little fanfare who has gone on to make a huge impact

This article is part of Football League World's 'Terrace Talk' series, which provides personal opinions from our FLW Fan Pundits regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more...

Leeds United centre-back Pascal Struijk has been tipped to play in the Premier League again in the near future after impressing at Elland Road since the Whites' relegation to the Championship.

The Dutchman signed for Leeds from Ajax in January 2018 as an unknown quantity, with the player initially linking up with Leeds' U23 side, before working his way through the ranks.

It was a signing that went under the radar at the time, with Struijk being an 18-year-old, but the former Ajax man has become a very important figure at Leeds in the years that followed.

Struijk was part of the Leeds side that had three consecutive years in the Premier League, and while he played relatively often during their stint in the top-flight, he's really taken his game to the next level since relegation, becoming a mainstay in Daniel Farke's side.

Now 25, it feels like only a matter of time before he's back in the Premier League, and the Elland Road faithful will hope that's with them, not with another side.

Pascal Struijk praised for Leeds United impact

We asked our Leeds United fan pundit, Kris Smith, to name a player that was perhaps unheralded when he first joined the club before making a huge impact, and he pointed to Struijk as a perfect example.

Speaking to Football League World, Kris said: “Pascal Struijk stands out to me as someone who came with very little expectations at Elland Road, but he’s blossomed into arguably the best in his position in the league, but also one of Leeds’ most important players since relegation as well.

“Schooled in the Ajax academy, it’s not a shock to see what style of centre-half he is, he is a complete footballer of a centre-back, and he’s just as capable defensively as he is with the ball at his feet.

“The way he’s grown into a leadership role with Leeds since relegation, having joined us for a nominal fee, it’s been remarkable to see how well he’s developed with us and what sort of player he could become and how important he could become in the future for us.

“It’s hard to say what his ceiling is given that he’s only really come into his own as a mainstay in the team since relegation, but he’s got so much time ahead of him as a centre-half and, for me, he will be a Premier League player in the near future, one way or another.”

It was clear that when an 18-year-old Struijk was brought to the club in 2018, he was one for the future rather than the short-term, and it's a move that has certainly paid off.

He had to bide his time to become a regular at Elland Road, but since becoming a mainstay, he's looked irreplaceable, and he's improved every season, even wearing the captain's armband on occasion.

Whoever was responsible for scouting Struijk and bringing him to Elland Road deserves huge credit, and so does Carlos Corberan for nurturing him during his time as Leeds' U23 manager.

As Kris mentioned, having experienced Premier League football before, you feel as if it's only a matter of time before Struijk is back in the top-flight, and if Leeds don't win promotion this season they may feel an almighty struggle to keep him.