Former Sheffield Wednesday caretaker head coach Lee Bullen has praised Leeds United defender Ben White following the Owls’ 2-0 win over the Whites on Saturday.
Wednesday faced a tough game at the weekend when they made the trip to Elland Road to face then-table-topping Leeds, with both sides needing wins to get their form back on track in the league.
The visitors dug deep with Leeds dominating most of the proceedings, and found a late winner through Jacob Murphy, before Atdhe Nuhiu added a second deep into injury time.
Following the game, the Leeds contingent were rightly downbeat, once again, failing to convert good chances which would have seen them win the game. Speaking to the Yorkshire Evening Post after the defeat, Ben White commented on the game and paid particular attention to Wednesday’s Nuhiu, who he had a few words about and his style. He stated:“He’s a big lump isn’t he?
“It’s difficult to play against but it’s part of what they were going to do.
“They were obviously going to bring him on if they were nil nil and we should have been ready for that.”
Nuhiu has been a thorn in the side of Leeds beyond just this season, scoring a late winner at Elland Road back in 2018 too, and he made his presence known with a goal and an assist on Saturday.
Former Wednesday caretaker head coach Lee Bullen heaped praise on Nuhiu following his well-taken goal and responded to a fans' reminder of White’s comments on his playing style, where he was still impressed with the on-loan Brighton man’s performances this season:
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The Verdict
While White’s comments might have been a bit harsh, it’s good to see that Bullen isn’t holding it against him and can still see the reason why he has become one of the best defenders in the league this season.
Ben White and the rest of Leeds’ defence struggled immensely with Nuhiu’s physicality and movement, even if it was a brief cameo on Saturday.
While his style is quite direct when compared to other strikers, it’s hard to take praise away from Nuhiu if he produces the goods like he did at Elland Road.