Graham Smyth shares what Joe Rodon did to Ao Tanaka after Leeds United win v Sheffield United

Graham Smyth shares what Joe Rodon did to Ao Tanaka after Leeds United win v Sheffield United

Graham Smyth has shared what Joe Rodon did to Leeds United teammate Ao Tanaka after the win over Sheffield United.

The Whites returned from the international break with a 2-0 win over the Blades at Elland Road on Friday (18 October) thanks to second-half goals from Pascal Struijk and substitute Mateo Joseph.

Although Struijk stole the plaudits for his display, it was Tanaka who was awarded man of the match and according to Yorkshire Evening Post journalist Smyth, Rodon was quick to embrace the midfielder.

Writing for the Yorkshire Evening Post (19 October) he said: “Rodon picking up Tanaka after he and Struijk had shared a full-time embrace.”

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Leeds United supporters were rightly concerned when both Ethan Ampadu and Ilia Gruev were ruled out until the new year with knee injuries, but both Tanaka and Joe Rothwell have stepped into the middle of the park with complete ease.

The Japanese midfielder has taken to Championship football like a duck to water and even after being involved with Japan in the international break, he looked full of energy as the Whites claimed all three points at Elland Road.

Alongside Rothwell, Tanaka ran the game from the middle of the park as the Leeds pair dominated both in and out of possession. He may have only been a United player for a matter of weeks, but he is already looking at home at Elland Road.

Hopefully, the Japanese international will only continue to improve as the season continues.

With each and every game he plays in the Championship, he looks more comfortable in Leeds colours and Rodon’s embrace after the full-time whistle shows that he is clearly a popular figure in the Whites’ changing room.

Meslier conceded a horror goal in the dying embers of the contest, with that officially being awarded as a Firpo own goal.

Chris Sutton accused the former Barcelona player of being a bad teammate, but Goodman – who was inside the stadium – has a different opinion of it.

“People need to stop it,” he told MOT Leeds News. “You cannot read too much into these things. It’s the ugly side of the world we live in. This is people trying to make a mountain out of a molehill.

“He was close to the tunnel and would have been exasperated. I’ve got absolutely no doubt in my mind that when Meslier got back to the dressing room, Firpo would have given him a hug.