Jesse Marsch is delighted with the progress Rasmus Kristensen has made since stepping into the Leeds United environment. Kristensen joined up with his new Whites teammates at the start of the month after making the £10m switch from Austrian side Red Bull Salzburg earlier this summer.
He had a week on the Thorp Arch training field before boarding a flight to Australia with the rest of his new teammates to take part in the club’s pre-season tour Down Under. So far, Kristensen has featured twice in Queensland and he has been one of the club’s most eye-catching performers, too.
The right-back picked up 45 minutes in Gold Coast against A-League side Brisbane Roar and another appearance against Premier League opposition Aston Villa on Sunday was enough to pick up plenty of praise, despite a 1-0 defeat. Having worked with him previously in Salzburg, Marsch isn’t surprised by how well the Denmark international has settled into the squad this summer and the head coach has challenged him to continue on his current trajectory as the competitive action nears.
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“He understands me well,” Marsch said about Kristensen. “We worked well together for two years in Salzburg and understands the tactics.
“All the new guys have commented on how much they've enjoyed being in the environment of what the team is and I think they feel the passion and the importance of what the club is. Rasmus, I think has integrated himself really well and in two matches performed quite well.
“We'll need him to continue to push himself and adapt to what we're trying to accomplish here with the team.”
After spending the last three nights in Brisbane, Leeds will fly out to Perth today for the final leg of their tour. The Whites squad were afforded a free day on Monday and players took the opportunity to get to grips with the east coast city and what it has to offer by getting out and about.
However, it’s back to business now as they board a five-and-a-half hour flight to Western Australia ahead of Friday’s friendly clash against Crystal Palace at the Optus Stadium. Perth is renowned for having a large British presence and it is hoped the clash will be able to attract a crowd of 50,000.
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