Pascal Struijk


Pascal Struijk is a Dutch professional footballer who plays as a centre-back for club Leeds United. Born in Belgium, he has represented the Netherlands internationally at under-17 level.

Early career and personal life

Struijk was born in Deurne in Belgium, but has represented the Netherlands at youth international level. His paternal grandparents were born in the Dutch East Indies and he is therefore also eligible to appear for Indonesia at international level.

Career

Struijk started his career at ADO Den Haag, before signing a two-year contract with Ajax in 2016. In January 2018, Struijk signed a three-year contract for English club Leeds United. His first involvement with the first team came on 13 March 2018, when he was named on the bench against Aston Villa in a 1–0 defeat.
Struijk was a regular for the Leeds United under-23 side over the course the 2018–19 season, and he featured in the team that won the Professional Development League on 6 May 2019, beating Birmingham City on penalties having drawn the final 0–0.
Strujik was named on the bench by Marcelo Bielsa for both legs of the Championship play-off semi-final against Derby County, but did not come off the bench for either; Leeds lost 4–3 on aggregate over the two legs.
On 10 December 2019, Struijk made his debut for Leeds United, coming on as a 91st-minute substitute for Hélder Costa in a 2–0 victory at home to Hull City. His second appearance came in the following match as a late substitute in a 3–3 draw at home to Cardiff City, with Struijk failing to clear the ball in the build-up to Robert Glatzel's late equaliser. He made his third appearance for the club as a 61st-minute substitute in a 1–0 win against Barnsley on 17 July 2020, with him being praised for his performance as a defensive midfielder. He made his full debut on 19 July 2020, starting in the team that beat Derby County 3–1 in the penultimate game of the season.

International career

Eligible to represent Netherlands, Belgium and Indonesia, Struijk was capped by the Netherlands under-17 team in 2016.

Style of play

Struijk is left-footed. Struijk primarily plays as a centre-back, but can also play as a defensive midfielder.

Career statistics

Honours

Leeds United