Leeds United: Coach Rosler hails Taylor

In a fortnight when Leeds United used squad rotation to combat the strain of their fixture list, Charlie Taylor was the only player who Uwe Rosler refused to rest.
Charlie Taylor.Charlie Taylor.
Charlie Taylor.

That fact might highlight the absence of a spare left-back at Elland Road but it also underlines the physical prowess of a footballer who Rosler describes as “a machine”.

United’s head coach expected Taylor to feel the pace and grind to a halt against Sheffield Wednesday on Saturday. The 21-year-old confounded him by shining in the second half.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Much has been asked of Rosler’s team since the start of this month and more of Taylor than anyone else. The defender started and finished all four league games and completed 120 minutes of United’s League Cup defeat at Doncaster Rovers two weeks ago. He is likely to start at Derby County this weekend, almost the first name on Rosler’s teamsheet.

“I would mention Charlie Taylor,” Rosler said at the end of Saturday’s Yorkshire derby. “Charlie’s played all the minutes – all the minutes – and he’s a machine. How he pushes himself, I find it hard to come to terms with.

“I was thinking he would blow up (against Sheffield Wednesday) but he didn’t. He pushed on and pushed on.

“He made some wrong decisions on the ball in the first half but we spoke about that before the second half. After that he tried to get forward and put crosses in.