Former Leeds United star David Prutton believes Pontus Jansson’s impressive performances last season have created an expectation of him and the defender is being judged by a higher standard.
The Sweden international, who joined Leeds on loan from Torino in 2016, signed a permanent deal with the Whites in the summer after managing to make his mark at Elland Road; he put pen to paper on a new five-year deal last week.
However, Jansson has struggled for consistency in the present campaign and was dropped by Leeds boss Thomas Christiansen during the Yorkshire giants’ 3-0 win over Bristol City on 21st October.
The centre-back again started on the bench against Sheffield United at the weekend before coming on as a second-half substitute.
Besides Jansson, Christiansen has also dropped goalkeeper Felix Wiedwald, who was expected to be the first choice between the sticks for the club after being signed from Werder Bremen in the summer.
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But Prutton is of the opinion that dropping Jansson and Wiedwald is not the same thing, with the ex-midfielder suggesting that the Swede is being judged differently, owing to the expectations he created, following his superb performances last season.
“The difference between dropping Jansson and dropping Wiedwald is that only one of them is an established figure at Leeds United”, he wrote in his column in the Yorkshire Evening Post.
“That doesn’t mean the decision about Wiedwald wasn’t a big call from Thomas Christiansen – his second with goalkeepers after replacing Rob Green in the summer – but Wiedwald is new to all this: the club, the league and the country.
“Jansson was borderline player of the year last season and at times made himself look untouchable.
“What he brought to Elland Road was everything Leeds had been missing for ages: a dominant, vocal, assertive centre-back.
“The way Jansson played has created expectation of him.
“If I’m being honest, I don’t think he was been alone in playing poorly before the Bristol City game but to be frank, Jansson is being judged by a higher standard of performance.
“You look at his weaker displays and automatically think ‘what’s happened to him?’”
It remains to be seen in Jansson returns to Leeds’ starting line-up for their clash against Derby County on Tuesday.
