Keith Andrews overcome with 'strange things' in naming Leeds United's Marcelo Bielsa as EFL manager of the season

Bielsa's Whites sit top of the Championship and with a seven-point cushion in the division's automatic promotion spots after recovering from a haul of just ten points in 11 games from mid December until mid February.

Former Republic of Ireland international Andrews admitted he felt United's promotion bid was over after Leeds lost 2-0 at Nottingham Forest for a fourth defeat from their last five games on February 8 - but a 1-1 draw at Brentford three days later was then followed by five straight wins.

And Andrews has been impressed by how United have fared overall in response to a crushing end to last season which saw Bielsa's side fall away in the automatic promotion race in the final month to finish third before losing to Derby County in the play-offs semi finals.

“This pandemic is doing strange things to me,” said Andrews, speaking on Sky Sports’ EFL podcast in explaining why Bielsa was his EFL manager of the season so far.

“There are a few reasons. Firstly the disappointment of last season and the play-offs and the manner of the defeat.

"We all know what that can do to a squad of players and even the manager.

“We all know about the style of football. We all know about the expectation levels at that football club and what’s at stake.

“I just think the way he’s got it going again, especially with that wobble they had going back to February.

"We were at Nottingham Forest when they lost 2-0 and I thought that was it. It felt like the wheels had come off.

"We went to Brentford on the Tuesday night, had a really good performance and got a draw and now they’ve won five on the bounce.

“There are a number of reasons and that’s why I think he’s my manager of the year. He would have got the job done if the season had continued as it was.”

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