Leeds United quietly have the joint-fastest player in Euro qualification, he surpassed Dan James
World Cup qualification came to an end for European clubs on Tuesday night and Leeds United’s trio of Dan James, Joe Rodon and Karl Darlow helped Wales secure a play-off place.
Craig Bellamy’s Wales entered the November break needing to beat Liechtenstein away from home, and then beat Gjanni Alioski’s North Macedonia. A 1-0 win in Liechtenstein saw Wales get the first part done.
The Leeds United players to have qualified for the World Cup
- Joe Rodon (Wales)
- Ethan Ampadu (Wales)
- Karl Darlow (Wales)
- Dan James (Wales)
- Ao Tanaka (Japan)
- Brenden Aaronson (USA)
But it saw Wales lose Ethan Ampadu, who picked up a suspension after another yellow card. However, it was not as if he was needed. Wales would go on to ease past North Macedonia with a huge 7-1 win.
Leeds target Harry Wilson took the plaudits, scoring a hat-trick and laying on an assist for Leeds winger Dan James to score, too. Karl Darlow and Joe Rodon enjoyed a quiet night but were at fault for the goal.
Photo by Michael Steele/Getty Images
Joe Rodon joint-first for speed in Europe’s World Cup qualifying
Rodon has played every minute of Leeds’ 11 Premier League games so far. But he’s also started and finished six of Wales’ eight games, missing one due to concussion and coming off late on, last night.
What is remarkable, alongside Rodon’s consistency and availability, is his speed. Often, his pace goes under the radar even if Dom Matteo has praised Rodon for his ability to recover quickly and get back.
Well, with Europe’s World Cup qualification group stages now over, Rodon is joint-first for the quickest speed recorded across all of Europe’s players. He is joint-first with Brentford attacker Kevin Schade.
MORE LEEDS UNITED STORIES
Europe’s five quickest players in World Cup qualifying:
NameNationClubSpeed (km/h)Joe RodonWalesLeeds36.7 Kevin SchadeGermanyBrentford36.7Moise KeanItalyFiorentina36.3Yevgeny MalashevichBelarusDinamo Minsk35.9Oguz AydinTurkeyFenerbahce35.9
Promoted with Leeds, Rodon finally got his chance in the Premier League. At Tottenham, he was a young player yet to really prove his potential. Feeding off scraps, the Wales centre-back struggled in London.
Now, Rodon is finally getting a go. In the summer, he said he had a point to prove in the Premier League. For most Leeds fans, Rodon has been Leeds’ best player this season, ahead of Sean Longstaff and others.
Ethan Ampadu believes Rodon is finally showing what he can really do, but it is clear his form is not limited to Leeds. The 58-time Wales star is shining for Bellamy’s men, and onlookers will be taking note.
It’s a double-edged sword for Leeds. Rodon has now proven himself in the Premier League and will have the platform of the World Cup next year. If Leeds are relegated, Rodon will generate plenty of interest.
If Leeds want to keep the former Swansea man in the long run, remaining in the Premier League and avoiding the clutches of relegation is crucial. Go down, and it is easy to imagine Rodon leaving Leeds.
