Leeds United midfielder Ao Tanaka was linked with a move away from Elland Road earlier this month, but he’s since proven why the supposed ‘price tag’ makes no sense.
United are on cloud nine this week after a stunning win on the road at Old Trafford on Monday night. Not many would have expected a win over Manchester United, but Daniel Farke’s side put in an incredible performance and thoroughly deserved the three points.
A core part of Leeds’ dominance across the Pennines was an aggressive, front-foot midfield setup in the absence of star man Anton Stach.
Ao Tanaka thrives once again after Leeds United starting role vs Manchester United
Alongside Ethan Ampadu was the popular decision of Ao Tanaka being handed a rare Premier League start. It came after a starring display against West Ham in the FA Cup, as us fans clamoured for his inclusion for the rest of the campaign.
The Japan international then continued to justify his inclusion. Next to the skipper, Tanaka was incredible at Old Trafford and a core part of how Leeds took the game to the home side, ‘sending a shiver down the spines’ of our relegation rivals with a dominant display, according to Jamie Carragher.
“Because, they didn’t just hang on, they absolutely bossed Manchester United in that first half,” the Liverpool Icon said on Sky Sports.
At 2-0 to the good, Tanaka had a golden opportunity to hammer home Leeds’ control when he rounded the ‘keeper after a high press won the ball back. He had the goal gaping but a slightly heavy touch allowed hair-puller Lisandro Martinez a chance to clear off the line.
In spite of that opportunity missed, Tanaka was incredible again.
|Ao Tanaka vs Man Utd|
|:---|---|
|Minutes played|74|
|Touches|67|
|Pass success|84% (42/50)|
|Pass success in opp. half|79% (19/24)|
|Key passes|4|
|Ground duels won|3/4|
|Dribbled past|0|
Ao Tanaka’s shocking £10.4million ‘price tag’ makes even less sense now after Leeds United masterclass
The backdrop of Tanaka’s last two performances under Farke has been an undercurrent of transfer speculation around the midfielder.
As he scored at the London Stadium, he put his fingers in his ears to suggest some unrest on his part – understandably so, obviously.
Not only that, but reports from Florian Plettenberg claimed he was open to a move away, with Leeds said to be asking for £10.4million to sanction his exit from West Yorkshire.
At the time, I thought it was absolute nonsense that Leeds would ‘set a price tag’ for a player in April. We’ve got such important games remaining to determine our season. Leeds could be playing Championship football in August, or we could even be playing in the Europa League. Why would Leeds have tethered ourselves to such a fee, which doesn’t represent how good Tanaka actually is during his peak years, ahead of a World Cup?
And then, he produces a performance like that on a huge stage on Monday night.
The masses have noticed just how good he is, something we knew could be possible in the wake of Stach being ruled out. So, it’s further proof that Leeds obviously didn’t sound out to potential buyers that Tanaka would be available for such a measly fee.
The ball is in our court regardless of what happens, and if he manages even a handful more performances like Monday, there’s no way on earth Leeds entertain selling, let alone for that fee.
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