Leeds United’s side that earned promotion from the Championship will go down in history as the group of players who propelled the club back into the Premier League after a 16-year absence.
The Whites remain a huge club, but with their status wholly dented.
It is a status that would only take a further beating should they succumb to relegation once more this season, as Javi Gracia aims to right Jesse Marsch’s wrongs to prevent such an occurrence.
The underperformance of his starting attacking midfielder in Brenden Aaronson has played a large role in their failings this campaign, and his struggles to acclimatise have left their attack in pieces.
It is certain that, if he had the option, Gracia would surely recall his legendary compatriot Pablo Hernandez from that Championship-winning team to replace the underwhelming American.
Would Pablo Hernandez get in the current Leeds side?
The Spanish forward moved to Elland Road on a permanent deal in 2017, quickly establishing himself as a mainstay for numerous managers before Marcelo Bielsa was appointed.
Only then did Leeds fans truly see the quality they had gained, as he became instrumental in finally putting together some consistent title-winning form.
During the 2018/19 campaign, he would score 12 and assist a further 12, before recording another 18 goal contributions the season following as they walked to the league.
His consistency led Bielsa to praise him, as he noted: “Pablo finds solutions that are above his technical skills. He reads the game and when he does this, he puts the ball in the right places. It’s something that’s very hard to teach and something that’s very hard to learn.”
To compare this with Aaronson, who only has one goal to his name after 22 league matches, the two were worlds apart.
With injuries and his rising age, his 2021 exit saw him lauded by players, fans, staff and the media alike. One of the latter, Richard Bayliss, wrote on Twitter: “Pablo Hernandez. The best player Leeds had in 16 years out of the Premier League, the inspiration in getting them back. His goal at Swansea made it so. The player leaves, a legend stays. El Mago”.
His status remains so around Yorkshire, as the 37-year-old now features for Castellon where he is part-owner.
Gracia would surely love to have a prime Hernandez in place of the 22-year-old he currently is forced to endure, as he would certainly not allow them to wallow around the relegation zone like they currently are.
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