Pontus Jansson believes Leeds United boss Thomas Christiansen gave him a wake-up call by dropping him against Bristol City in late October.
The defender, who found the back of the net in Leeds’ 1-0 win over Norwich City at the weekend, struggled for form during the Whites’ horror run of results between mid-September to the international break in November.
In order to shake things up, Christiansen decided to drop Jansson from the game at Ashton Gate, despite the Sweden international being one of the star performers for Leeds last season.
And the 26-year-old admitted that although it was tough for him to sit out of the game at Bristol City, it served him as a reminder that he needed to up his game, which he thinks he has done.
“He’s the type of person who’s been good for me”, Jansson was quoted as saying by the Yorkshire Evening Post, when asked about Christiansen.
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“When I wasn’t in my best shape he took me away and I respected it 100 per cent.
“It was like a wake-up call so I worked even harder on the training ground.
“It was a wake-up call for me to really understand that now I have to step up.
“After that I’ve been better in every game and in training. I really respect him.
“Last year I was one of the most important players so that was a big decision for him to make.
“Of course at Bristol it was tough but I worked hard and now I get the result.
“I’m proud of myself that I’ve come out from this.”
Jansson, who made his loan move to Leeds from Torino permanent last summer, signed a new deal with the Yorkshire giants in October which will keep him at the club until 2022.
Besides helping Leeds’ defence, he has also managed to chip in with two goals in 19 Championship games this season.
