Paul Robinson has insisted that Leeds United new boy Ao Tanaka is one of the fittest players he has seen and expects him to become undroppable once he gets into the starting eleven.
Tanaka joined Leeds in the dying embers of the summer transfer window from Fortuna Dusseldorf and has made two substitute appearances for the Yorkshire giants.
The midfielder was signed after Daniel Farke grew tired of Leeds missing out on a few targets and the German club were left shocked when the Whites decided to meet their asking price for Tanaka.
The Japanese midfielder has already been tipped to become one of the bargains of the summer but he is still waiting to make his first start for the Whites this season.
However, Robinson believes once he gets into the team Tanaka will be extremely hard to dislodge because of the qualities he brings to the table.
Former Leeds United star expects Tanaka to provide defensive cover to Brenden Aaronson in the team
Robinson has backed Tanaka to come in and maybe provide a defensive foil to Aaronson in the Leeds starting eleven in the near future as the Japan star offers more than the American defensively.
The US international has been criticised for not having the physicality and his defensive work rate and the former Leeds star stressed that Tanaka is one of the fittest players he has seen in his career.
He believes it will be hard to get him out once Tanaka gets into the Leeds starting eleven given the physical and defensive attributes he brings to the team.
“He offers something different than Brandon Aaronson”, Robinson told MOT Leeds News
“He plays a lot deeper, has more defensive responsibilities, is a very, very good established international player, and has a great engine. He is one of the fittest players I’ve seen.
“There will be games when Aaronson will be deployed higher up the pitch and Tanaka comes in for his defensive capabilities. Once that happens, he’ll be difficult to dislodge.
“Aaronson lets runners go so his defensive work isn’t as good as others.”
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