Leeds United favourite Pablo Hernández has admitted he is unsurprised to see Hélder Costa now shining at Valencia, given the work he’s done under Marcelo Bielsa.
Costa joined Valencia on loan at the end of the transfer window when Leeds elected to let him leave after signing Dan James from Manchester United.
Life in Spain did not get off to the best of starts for the forward, who found himself struggling to get into Jose Bordalas’ team and facing criticism from the press as a result.
Covid related travel issues during the last international break only added to the misery, with it looking like his loan spell with Valencia would spiral into disaster before it got started.
Since that point, he’s become something of a key player, with a series of impressive performances earning rave reviews and plenty of coverage insisting that there was never any worries about the Leeds man.
Whether that’s true or not is up for debate, but one man who never doubted was his former teammate Hernández, who says he knew he’d shine thanks to the work he’s been doing under Bielsa at Elland Road.
“I’m not surprised because I’ve known him well for two years, and I know what he can give,” he told Radio Marca, relayed by SuperSport.
“He is a very quick player in attack, he is very unbalanced, and on either flank, he does a lot of damage to the full-backs and, defensively, you saw the other day how he helped.
“He is physically capable of doing it, and I’m sure that there will be good games for him to show that he can be an important player for the team.
“Against Villarreal, Hélder played a great game, not only in attack but also in defence, which is something that is non-negotiable with Bordalás.
“The good thing about Hélder is that he comes from two years with Bielsa, who, I know from experience, demands a lot in defence, he demands a lot physically from the players, and I think he has gained that from his experience with Bielsa.
“He showed it against Villarreal, and he is a player who is going to show it a lot. I think he’s going to have a place in the team.”
