What Carlos Corberan said on 'extraordinary' Leeds United loanee Largie Ramazani after crucial winner
The on-loan Leeds United man is enjoying a rich vein of form.
Valencia head coach Carlos Corberan praised on-loan Leeds United winger Largie Ramazani’s ‘personality’ after his penalty secured an important victory over Osasuna.
Ramazani’s loan spell at Valencia has been stop-start, with fitness issues contributing to a season on the fringes of first-team football. But after impressing off the bench in recent weeks he broke into the starting-XI and in three starts since, has scored three goals.
The most recent came on Sunday and proved decisive as Valencia beat Osasuna 1-0 at home. Ramazani took responsibility for a 66th-minute penalty and confidently buried his effort into the bottom-left corner, but teammate Jose Gaya had encroached into the area and the spot-kick had to be re-taken.
Ramazani settled himself, however, and as Osasuna goalkeeper Sergio Herrera stayed central he confidently rolled the ball into the same corner. A typically acrobatic celebration followed and Valencia boss Corberan praised the mentality of his on-loan Leeds star for coping with the high-pressure situation.
“In the first half I saw a lot of energy, and in the second half the first 15 minutes gave us difficulty in matching the pace of the game,” Corberan said after the win. “It was very stop-start, there was a lack of fluidity in general. Everything was very static.
“But the team maintained our concentration, took advantage of opportunities and got that penalty, attacking the space behind the defence after winning the second ball. Ramazani showed great character, scoring the penalty twice, and then we showed our ability to stand firm and to hold onto the result. That was very important and gave us this victory.
Corberan’s high praise for Leeds United loanee Ramazani
“Ramazani has a lot of personality, because after scoring the first goal and then, after that feeling that you've scored, having to retake the penalty, you have to be able to handle the pressure, to not let it get to you. That’s very important, because you might doubt whether to put the ball in the same place or change sides. He handles that psychological game extraordinarily well.”
It’s been an incredible turn of fortune for Ramazani, who before these three starts hadn’t been in a single La Liga Starting-XI beforehand. The Belgian had started to make an impact off the bench in recent weeks and looks to be discovering form under Corberan.
The on-loan Leeds man won La Liga’s February Goal of the Month for a wonderful left-footed volley against Levante and then netted in a 2-1 defeat at Villarreal. With 12 games of the season remaining, there will be ample opportunity to keep the goals coming ahead of an important summer.
Leeds rejected loan offers which included any kind of permanent clause and so Ramazani is set for a return to West Yorkshire this summer. It remains to be seen what the future holds for the 25-year-old amid Daniel Farke’s recent formation switch and move towards more physicality.