As Leeds United are fully aware, attempting to secure a return to life in the Premier League is no easy task, with the club having notably spent 16 years out of England’s top flight following their previous relegation in 2004.
Now back in the Championship, the Whites are no doubt wishing they could call upon some of those who were crucial in their previous promotion push under Marcel Bielsa, as the Argentine led his side into the promised land at the second attempt in 2019/20.
One of the most instrumental assets in that stellar season was veteran playmaker, Pablo Hernandez, with the fleet-footed Spaniard shaking off an early slow start to life at Elland Road, to emerge as a true talisman in his playmaking berth.
When did Leeds sign Pablo Hernandez?
After previously contributing 22 goals and assists in 69 games in all competitions for Swansea City, by the time of his move to Leeds in the summer of 2016, Hernandez had spent a few years away from English football, after joining Qatari side Al-Arabi in 2014.
For many, that departure from Europe could have been a sign of a career that was winding down, yet as he would go on to prove for the Yorkshire giants, the 5 foot 8 magician was certainly no busted flush.
Having signed initially on loan, the one-time Valencia man enjoyed a respectable, albeit unspectacular, first season for the Whites, scoring six goals and providing eight assists in 35 league games as Leeds finished in 13th place.
That came amid criticism of his ability to potentially handle the rigours of life in the Championship, with pundit Noel Whelan describing the midfield maestro as a “luxury” player, who was “maybe not the best” in “aggressive” games.
The arrival of the aforementioned Bielsa, however, seemingly changed Hernandez’s fortunes dramatically, with the ageing ace quickly developing into the main man for the promotion chasers.
Is Pablo Hernandez a Leeds legend?
In the aftermath of the club’s prior relegation in 2004, one of the shining lights during that dark period was Jermaine Beckford, with the prolific striker scoring 85 goals in just 152 games – albeit with much of that success coming in the third tier.
A legendary figure, not least for his winner against rivals Manchester United at Old Trafford back in 2010, the clinical marksman certainly made his mark in a Leeds shirt, albeit without ever being able to power the historic club back to where they belonged – the Premier League.
In the case of Hernandez, however, the four-cap Spain international managed to do just that, having proven himself to be a player with a “special gift” who had an “an influence like Gordon Strachan”, as Whelan claimed in 2020.
A real “driving force” for the club despite his slight frame, in the words of Whelan, the midfield marvel notably scored 12 goals and registered a further 12 assists in 2018/19 as Bielsa’s men narrowly missed out on promotion, before plundering 18 goal involvements the year after as the Yorkshire outfit finally achieved their long-awaited goal.
That success saw Hernandez subsequently named the club’s Player of the Year for the third successive season – the first player in the club’s history to achieve that feat – with Bielsa having previously described his star man as “one of the best players in his position I have worked with in my career”.
Prior to his exit in 2021, the now-retired menace had racked up an impressive haul of 77 goal contributions in 175 games across all fronts, cementing his status as a true legend among the club’s support.
Of course, while Beckford may have sparkled in his own right, being the man to take Leeds back into the Premier League makes Hernandez just that bit more special.
