Leeds United defender Pascal Struijk has admitted that 'it would be nice' if the club extended his current contract which is due to expire in 2024 whilst also opening up on competing with Junior Firpo for a starting spot with the left-back set to return from injury on Sunday when the Whites host league leaders Arsenal.
Predominantly a centre-back, the versatile Dutchman has deputised at left-back during Firpo's absence with manager Jesse Marsch confirming that the latter is fit enough to be involved in Sunday's match day squad.
Speaking to Voetbalzone, via Sport Witness, the 23-year-old shared his desires to retain his place at the back, whether that's at left-back or centre-back, saying: “Will his [Junior] return change my situation? For now, it creates extra pressure, because if I don’t play well, I’ll lose my place. I do think it’s good for me, because it also keeps me sharp.
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“I don’t know who is going to play and I don’t know what the coach wants. Of course, my goal is to give him no choice but to field me. If the choice does not fall on me in the end, I can always go to the centre [of the defence]."
The defender added: “To clear my head, I have to get out of that ‘soccer bubble’ every now and then. Leeds itself is a nice city. If you’ve just come here, it’s different if you’re used to Rotterdam or Amsterdam, because it’s an industrial city, but the longer you stay there, the more you love the city and people.
“In the summer, I played golf a lot. We now have a group of guys who have qualities… Rasmus Kristensen, Illan [Meslier] and me. We are looking for a fourth player, but now we also play with our fitness coach Pierre [Barrieu]. It’s really competitive, but we have to make sure we don’t get injured. If we were to get injured, they would really go crazy at the club. We try to keep it somewhat calm.
“At least for now I’m really enjoying myself at Leeds and it would be nice if they were willing to extend my contract. I feel good here and I focus on Leeds."
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