Junior Firpo joined Leeds United from Real Betis in 2021 and spent four years at Elland Road.
Last season, the Dominican Republic international was a key part of the Whites squad that secured a promotion to the top flight. He left Leeds as a free agent and returned to Real Betis.
His national team face Uruguay in a friendly later today. The clash will see him come up against former Leeds United manager, Marcelo Bielsa.
The defender has spoken about Bielsa and El Observador have relayed his comments. The manager was in charge of Leeds between July 2018 and February 2022.
After being away for 16 years, Leeds United returned to the Premier League under Bielsa in 2020. The 29-year-old fullback shared his experience of playing under the Argentine.
“He was a little crazy, as his nickname suggests, but in a good way,” he said.
“He was very obsessive about the details. Until you made a good pass, it wasn’t worth it. And you could repeat it 50 times. It doesn’t matter if you scored the goal, if the ball wasn’t moved well or rotated correctly as he intended, it wasn’t done well.”
Profound impact on Leeds United squad
In February 2022, the Whites decided to part ways with Bielsa. At that time, they were 16th in the Premier League and were relegated at the end of that season.
El Observador claim Bielsa’s exit from Leeds had a ‘profound impact on the squad’. Junior Firpo explained the decision wasn’t easy for Leeds United.
“It was one of the hardest goodbyes to a manager I’ve ever experienced,” he explained.
“All the players who had been with him for several years were crying in the locker room. It was like when you know something is going to collapse, but you’d rather let it collapse with him than save it with someone else. That was that feeling.
“We miraculously survived in the last game and stayed in the league, but the fans were chanting his name. It was a very difficult decision for the club.”
Junior Firpo left Leeds United when his contract expired at the end of June, he later explained why.
