Pascal Struijk has not had as strong a second season in the Premier League as his first but the Dutchman has thoroughly impressed since becoming a genuine first-team squad player. The former Ajax defender played a small number of minutes at the end of Leeds' promotion season from the Championship but was thrown in the deep end in the Premier League as he started against Liverpool in their first game back in the division for 16 years, due to an injury to Liam Cooper.
The Whites have consistently had injuries to their centre-backs since returning to the Premier League, meaning that Struijk continued to get opportunities. The 22-year-old has dropped back out of the team in recent weeks after the return to fitness of Cooper, but he has still been praised by Premier League legend Alan Shearer.
"He’s made his case to be a regular in the team," Shearer told the Premier League's YouTube channel. "Physically imposing at 6 ft 3, he welcomes comparisons to Virgil van Dijk and having played for the Netherlands at youth level, Leeds fans will be hoping he can reach similar heights."
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It's unclear where Struijk's allegiances lie when it comes to international level. He qualifies for three countries, holding passports for both the Netherlands and Belgium, whilst he also qualifies for Indonesia through his family.
Whilst the young centre-back is out of the team currently, Leeds know he's one they can count on, should he be needed in the final run-in. Should he not come back into the starting XI, he is certainly one of the highest potential players at the club and will certainly find an opportunity to show that again very soon.
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