'New situation' - international defender addresses his Leeds United future after relegation - YEP 30/5/23
Denmark international Rasmus Kristensen is prepared to 'stand by' Leeds United in the Championship.
By Graham Smyth
The right-back endured a difficult debut season in English
football, starting the season as the club's first-choice right-back during Luke
Ayling's recovery from surgery but then losing the place to his elder.
Kristensen was in and out of the side, spent a chunk of
games on the bench as an unused sub and then had to play centre-back towards
the end of the campaign.
His attitude was lauded by Javi Gracia, even when not
playing and he featured for every minute of all four of Sam Allardyce's games
in charge.
Relegation was not how he saw the move to Leeds ending when
he signed from RB Salzburg, having previously played there under Jesse Marsch.
Marsch was sacked in February with Leeds fighting the drop for the second
straight season.
Kristensen has told Danish publication Tipsbladet that his
future depends firstly on the club and who they decide to keep - a decision
that cannot be taken until the ownership picture clears up.
“First of all, there is an evaluation of all players in the
club," he said.
"It’s a new situation for Leeds United, so first of all
we have to find out who will be here. If someone points to me, I’m ready. I
have a long contract left and it may well be that it was not what I had
imagined. I must be the first to say that it was not.
"The realities are such that we have to play in the
Championship next season, and I intend to stand by the realities until I - if I
- am introduced to some new ones. That is probably the best answer I can give
now."
Kristensen signed a five-year deal when he made his £10m
move from Salzburg and Leeds believed they had beaten stiff competition to
secure his services.
A difficult campaign eventually cost the 25-year-old his
starting place in the Denmark side, although he played all but 45 minutes of
their three World Cup fixtures.
