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da pixbet： This article is part of Football FanCast’s Pundit View series, which provides opinion and analysis on recent quotes from journalists, pundits, players and managers…
Leeds loanee Ben White has been hailed by Noel Whelan as the defender was set apart from Pontus Jansson by the pundit on Football Insider.
What’s he said?
White’s arrival at Elland Road was pretty understated. After all, this was a player who hadn’t yet featured in the Championship.
The 21-year-old’s parent club is Brighton but he’s previously enjoyed loan spells with Newport and Peterborough before getting the chance with the Whites.
It’s a giant leap for the defender but he’s taken to the division like a duck to water. Replacing Jansson was always going to be a hard task but Whelan has detailed one of the key qualities he possesses, one which even puts him above the Swede.
He told Football Insider:
“He gives the ball and then gets back into his position. Even when there’s space there for him to drive into, he will, but then he’ll get back into his position.
“That, going back to Pontus Jansson, is something he wanted to do a little bit too much. White’s first thought is: ‘I’m a defender.’
“That’s something you don’t see very much these days, you’ve centre-halves who want to be midfielders and that’s when they leave the space. His first thought is can I give it a midfielder and get back into my position. That is absolutely vital.”
White impressing
The centre-back came into competitive action this term after a rather shaky incident against Cagliari in pre-season stalled his first impressions.
However, he’s more than made up for it and his calming presence has been much-needed in the Leeds backline.
Marcelo Bielsa was said to be a huge fan of the youngster by Phil Hay and that is unlikely to have changed after his start to the new term.
He has stepped into Jansson’s shoes brilliantly and is already keeping Gaetano Berardi out of the side despite his early suspension.
White has started all three Championship matches in 2019/20, cementing himself as one of the first names on the team sheet in the early exchanges.
Thogden ranks all 24 Championship home kits in the video below…
He’s won 2.3 aerial duels per match whilst he also boasts a fantastic pass success rate of 85.6%. It’s that stat that shows how he likes to keep things simple, laying the ball into midfield.
But he can also go long, playing a fantastic ball over the top into Patrick Bamford against Nottingham Forest.
For someone so young, White seems to be a player beyond his years and even helped his team to a clean sheet last weekend.
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