Liam Bridcutt

The Leeds United captain, at least for now, is a player who at times has shown real quality, but at other times I find it hard with Bridcutt. I often wonder about his ability to lead the side as captain and also be the driving focus in the middle of the field. Some players are unable to balance the leadership and level of performance required together and often falter in both respects.

Bridcutt is a very good defensive midfielder and has already shown in preseason that he is still a definite contender. The best quality I see in Bridcutt’s game is the ability to break up play and distribute the ball. A number of times I have seen Bridcutt start a counter attack by intercepting the ball and finding a teammate.

Bridcutt does lack creativity, but with solid creative options further up the pitch, Bridcutt can be more effective for the team than a midfielder who to tends to push on.

The major concern for Bridcutt is the injuries. Bridcutt missed vital stages of last season because of injury. If Bridcutt has the same interrupted season he had last season, it will be difficult for him to retain a regular spot in Christiansen’s XI.

Kalvin Phillips

Kalvin is more effective as an impact player for Leeds: he has the drive and bite in his game that can make all the difference towards the end of matches. Away at Birmingham last season, the introduction of Phillips added the extra dimension to ensure we took the points that night.

Natural free kick takers isn’t something have throughout the squad

The depth of cover, in my opinion, benefits Phillips. In the early stages of last season he had to play a lot of Championship minutes. The demands of the league started to catch up to him and he started to make a few mistakes. Phillips is developing into a player who can be an integral part of the club for years to come, but I believe he will need at least another season before he starts on a regular basis.

I do expect to see him feature in the season, however, unless we see injuries to other players, his contribution may be more sporadic.

Eunan O’Kane

For me, O’Kane should have featured more regularly last season. When he arrived, the team’s fortune started to change and O’Kane was one catalyst for the upsurge in form. We needed a confident player who was not scared of pushing the whole team forward, and in O’Kane, we found that.

He is a player who can pick up the ball in the midfield and drive forward into the box - something we lacked last season.

I watched him against Barnsley and Ipswich in September, and he looked like a player who would feature all season. O’Kane has the tactical awareness to adapt from attack to defence depending on the situation. Having a player who can do this can make the whole team work better.

what a wonderful ball !!

Even after his injury, I thought he would return to the side, but Monk made the decision not to include him. My concern is that I see the club heading in a different direction in terms of the midfield, and I could see him being sold in the window if that’s the case.

Ronaldo Vieira

Ronaldo Vieira is quite simply a young player who Leeds United should be looking to build the team around. He is a wonderful player already, and after a dream debut season, he should push on and be even better this season.

18 and he can score goals like that — unbelievable

I often forget that he is only 18 years of age — the strength and dominance you see from him is amazing. He’s able to dictate and boss midfielders with ease and looks like he has the shoulders to take on any expectation or responsibility.

I struggle to find any fault in his game and I think he will be a catalyst for any success we achieve this season.

Mateusz Klich

The new signing from FC Twente is a player I can’t really judge as I haven’t actually seen him play. I assume - because the club made the decision to sign him - he must be a favourite to start in the centre of midfield.

On paper, he seems a midfielder who can score goals, which is something I’ve mentioned previously as a problem for us. The other midfielders are more defence-minded, so the inclusion of Klich may add some stability within the centre of the park, something we lacked under Garry Monk.

Looks a quality player!

Actually he is a quality player.

Klich is currently injured however, though he is set to travel to Austria with the team. I hope we will get to have a closer look at him as we approach the new season.

Vurnon Anita

I find it very interesting that Anita has been listed as a midfielder on the Leeds United website. I expected the versatile Dutchman to be listed as a defender, as I made the assumption he would be playing as a fullback.

The signing of Anita is my favourite so far. I have always being a fan of pace in Championship teams and Anita has pace in abundance - add to that the experience of top level football, mix in promotion experience and Leeds have cooked up a right bit of business.

I still would prefer to see him as a full back. The most successful teams have full backs who go beyond in the wingers and offer an option further up the pitch.

Anita playing at full back adds a further dimension to the team. I don’t believe playing as a centre midfielder in a 4–2–3–1 formation he would be as effective, Anita needs to be allowed to get at defenders. Could you imagine having Sacko on the right side harassing players and having Antia on the other doing the same? We would see opposition defenders just stepping aside just so they don’t have to chase thin air anymore.