Helder Costa makes Leeds United admission as Pablo Hernandez weighs in on Valencia loanee - YEP 6/11/21
Leeds United loanee Helder Costa has thanked Valencia for helping him relaunch his football career.
By Joe Urquhart
The 27-year-old winger departed Elland Road in the summer
transfer window on a season-long loan deal as the Whites brought in Dan James
from Manchester United.
Costa headed to the Mestalla on a temporary basis in a bid
to find regular game time, which had become harder to come by under Marcelo
Bielsa in West Yorkshire having penned a four-year contract in July 2020.
His form has dipped in the Premier League having helped the
club to promotion from the Championship though he has now been given somewhat
of a new lease of life in Spain.
Costa has featured six times since making the switch to La
Liga - starting and completing 90 minutes on two occasions - and has made a
steady return to finding his best once again after featuring in last weekend's
2-0 victory over Villarreal.
“I feel better here, I came from a not so good situation.
But Valencia has given me the opportunity to relaunch my career and I think
this is the ideal place to do that," Costa told Super Sport.
“I hope to be up to the challenge. I didn’t have continuity
of games, but the coach has given me a chance and I want to make the most of
it. I know I have to improve my weaknesses.”
Former Leeds teammate and Whites hero Pablo Hernandez was
also quizzed over Costa's abilities after working with him closing in LS11.
“I’m not surprised because I’ve known him well for two
years, and I know what he can give,” Hernandez told Radio Marca.
“He is a very quick player in attack, he is very unbalanced,
and on either flank, he does a lot of damage to the full-backs and,
defensively, you saw the other day how he helped.
“He is physically capable of doing it, and I’m sure that
there will be good games for him to show that he can be an important player for
the team.
“Against Villarreal, Hélder played a great game, not only in
attack but also in defence, which is something that is non-negotiable with
Bordalás.
“The good thing about Hélder is that he comes from two years
with Bielsa, who, I know from experience, demands a lot in defence, he demands
a lot physically from the players, and I think he has gained that from his
experience with Bielsa.
“He showed it against Villarreal, and he is a player who is
going to show it a lot. I think he’s going to have a place in the team.”
