At 21 years of age, Pascal Struijk's career is very much in its infancy. His best years lie ahead of him and, under the stewardship of Bielsa, his best years have the potential to be brilliant. Prior to this campaign, Struijk boasted just five senior league appearances. Fast forward to February 2021 and he has already quadrupled his tally.

People may point to injuries as a key factor behind his regular selection but consider this: Ayling is more than capable at centre back and Dallas likewise at right back. If Struijk was not yet at the required standard, or didn't have the trust of Bielsa, he quite simply wouldn't be playing.

Recent outings against Crystal Palace and Arsenal raised a fair few talking points. One of those is the role of the Belgium-born youngster. It's no secret that versatility is crucial to Bielsa. In the aforementioned matches, Struijk’s position changed from centre back to defensive midfielder. Here I discuss why nailing down a single position might, in this case, be the best outcome for player and team.

In the 2-0 win over Crystal Palace, Struijk excelled at the heart of defence. His passing was far crisper and his decision making far sharper than we'd seen in previous games. In that win, you got the sense that his confidence was beginning to really grow.

His composure was what really stood out for me. Passes were being played forwards and into feet with little hesitation. Of course, the likes of Klich and Bamford deserve a share of the credit for making themselves available. Having said that, the passes still need to be made, and make them Struijk did.

How Struijk failed to find the back of the net in that game remains a mystery. He even joked on social media that he was going be starting heading lessons. A trio of chances came and went but it was encouraging to see him keep getting in there.

It feels fairly simplistic to say that Struijk's 6 ft 3 frame makes him an asset but in a team lacking any real height, it’s a factor that shouldn’t be overlooked. His maiden goal did arrive in the following game at Arsenal. A Leeds header hasn’t been thumped home with quite that authority since Jansson did so at Ewood Park in 2017. Sure, that was a late winner and Struijk’s came at 4-0 down, but Pascal’s goal being his first bares a level of significance.

Our side’s weakness at defending set pieces is no secret. In fact, as of February 17th, Leeds have the joint worst record when it comes to conceding from set pieces. Both ourselves and Sheffield United have shipped 11 each in that category. The large frame of Struijk comes in handy again. As his confidence grows, let’s hope he can become increasingly commanding in both boxes.

Performances so far this campaign would seem to suggest that Struijk’s growth is likely to be quickest with him at centre back. There’s never a good time for Phillips to be absent but it was particularly inopportune against Arsenal given that Struijk was going into the game on the back of arguably his best.

In the Phillips role, Struijk looked a different player, albeit against high calibre opposition . His passing was less ambitious than in previous games and he didn’t make himself available at the rate that Phillips would. The defensive midfield position is one that Phillips has made his own so not matching those levels is no disrespect to Struijk.

Struijk may one day become every bit as good as Phillips in the holding role but, at the moment, playing him there means we lose a degree of what he offers at centre back. Not only that, shifting Struijk meant Ayling being moved across to centre back and Dallas falling back to Ayling's usual position. Dallas has filled in for Phillips before so it speaks volumes that Bielsa favours Struijk to fill in when Kalvin is out.

Leeds are a much better side with Phillips so let’s hope he can stay fit. I, for one, also hope he stays fit because that gives Struijk a better chance of an extended run in the side at centre back. Perhaps we’ll be talking in the future about Struijk and centre back in the same vein as Phillips and defensive midfield. If anyone can make it happen, Bielsa can.

Written by Carl Gathercole. You can follow Carl on Twitter at @CarlosLUFC1994