Graham Smyth assesses Leeds United's unexpected new attacking threat

Leeds United have welcomed a whole host of players back into the fold after they represented their countries during the second international break of the Premier League season.

Daniel Farke had his fingers crossed for the safe return of those players and it appears there has been positive news on the fitness front as they now turn their focus towards what already feels like a crucial visit to former Championship title rivals Burnley on Saturday afternoon.

Results across the Whites’ international players were somewhat mixed - and you could expect Joe Rodon has returned to Thorp Arch with his own emotions polarised after he appeared in both of Wales’ fixtures during the break. The former Tottenham Hotspur defender made a 90-minute appearance as Craig Bellamy’s side fell to a 3-0 friendly defeat against England before suffering a 4-2 defeat in a World Cup qualifier against Belgium that has hampered their chances of securing a place in next summer’s finals.

However, after scoring for Leeds in their recent 2-2 home draw with Bournemouth, the centre-back also headed only his second international goal in the loss against Belgium after getting off the mark at international level in a 3-0 win against Liechtenstein during the summer. Rodon has become an attacking threat for the Whites during the opening two months of their return to the Premier League and the YEP’s Graham Smyth believes there could be more to come from the defender.

What has Graham Smyth said about Joe Rodon?

He told the Inside Elland Road podcast: “Farke talked about it today when he was asked about Joe Rodon, and it sounded like he was joking but then followed it up with ‘I’m not even joking’, that one of his greatest achievements was making Joe Rodon a threat from attacking set-pieces. When he arrived, he was a player who was very strong in the air defensively, and he makes first contact so many times in his own box and defending aerial balls, he makes first contact and gets into position to head the ball so many times in the opposition box. But he was just a complete 50p head and the ball would go here, there and everywhere. It was almost like he was a tremendous defensive asset for the opposition when he got his head on a corner. He should have had more goals last season, definitely, he scored one.

“This season, he can’t stop scoring goals now, he’s up and running, he got one on international level as well, which must have felt amazing. He’s played a lot of games for Wales, a huge amount of games for a man of his age, and to get it in a big game as well. Things didn’t go their way and he’s the kind of player that will say he would have rather won than scored but at the same time, what a special moment for him.”

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