No-look goals are the mark of a confident forward and Tyler Adams sees that lifting the entire Leeds United team as they watch Rodrigo purring in attack. The record signing is sitting atop the Premier League scoring charts and giving himself a real opportunity to turn the corner at Elland Road.
It has not always been this easy for the Spain international. There were four goals across the final four games of 20/21, then three in four during Jesse Marsch’s run-in last term, but those spurts of form did not last.
Generally, it has been difficult for Rodrigo in the top flight, but in this critical third year of his four-year contract, there are at least the foundations for him to kick on with a clean slate in 22/23. What better way for him to begin that run on Spain’s World Cup squad too?
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In training, away from the spotlight of the Premier League, Rodrigo was the man who caught Adams’s eye first. The American has been consistently impressed by the former Valencia forward.
He said: “To find your form that quickly in the season is a wish from everybody, right? You always want your guys that are supposed to be scoring goals, scoring goals.
“Rodrigo was one of the players that impressed me the most when I first arrived. He's super technical, always outside doing extra work with finishing and stuff like that.
“To me, there's no surprise a tough ball comes in from Jack [Harrison] and he's almost a no-look finish into the goal. It's things like that.
“It gives confidence to the whole team. We're definitely excited for Rodrigo and he's going be an important player for us.”
Joe Gelhardt was moving freely at a community event in Leeds on Tuesday, but news is expected on Patrick Bamford in Friday’s press conference with Marsch. If and when those two are out of the picture, as they were last weekend, Rodrigo has to be the attacker who picks up the mantle.
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