Leeds United: Former player reveals ruthless Marcelo Bielsa treatment that prompted exit | OneFootball

Andy Lonergan has revealed how he left Leeds United shortly after Marcelo Bielsa's appointment.

Former Leeds United keeper Andy Lonergan has revealed that he was told he was ‘too fat’ by Marcelo Bielsa’s staff, which saw him leave the club shortly after the Argentine’s appointment.

The 41-year-old, who is currently at Wigan, has had a career that has seen him turn out for many Football League clubs, which includes two spells with Leeds United.

Lonergan’s second stint was in 2017, when he signed a two-year contract following his release from Wolves.

Andy Lonergan discusses Leeds United exit

However, the stopper wouldn’t see out that deal, as he left Leeds inside 12 months, with the player and the club agreeing to mutually terminate his contract in July 2018.

That came shortly after Bielsa was announced as the new boss, and he wasted little time in making his mark on the squad.

And, speaking on the I Had Trials Once podcast, Lonergan explained how Bielsa had decided he should be moved on as soon as he took over.

“The summer Bielsa came in and as soon as his name got mentioned, I got a message off the director of football, Victor Orta who’s actually a top guy, ‘we need a chat’. He’s like ‘yeah he doesn’t want you’, I was thinking we’ll see how it goes.

“First day I got in, sat down with my breakfast, got some butter for my toast and went to have my coffee, someone took my plate off me. He’s like ‘you can’t have butter you’re too fat’, so I’m like ‘are you taking the ****?’

“So then, I never spoke a word to the manager or nothing, never met him but one of his people took it off us, and then about three days later, I got paid up. Worked out well.”

Marcelo Bielsa brought success to Leeds United

This is another interesting insight into Bielsa’s methods at Leeds, and he clearly had seen enough from the videos and analysis to say that he didn’t want Lonergan.

The former Preston keeper was not first-choice at Elland Road, and he probably would’ve been third-choice, but Bielsa obviously wanted every player in his squad to be able to deal with his demands.

As Lonergan says, it worked out well for him, as he was paid up and then went on to earn a contract with Middlesbrough.

Some may feel that Bielsa should’ve given Lonergan a chance, but, as mentioned, it seemed highly unlikely that he was going to be the first-choice keeper, with Bailey Peacock-Farrell emerging at that time to become a regular.

Ultimately, Bielsa’s first season would end in heartbreak, as the side lost the play-off semi-final to Derby County over two legs, having just missed out on a top two finish.

But, Leeds would get promoted 12 months later, with Bielsa the man who ended their long stay outside the Premier League.

Whilst they are now back in the Championship, Bielsa remains a very popular figure with fans of the Yorkshire club, and his extreme methods saw improvements in many of the squad.

Lonergan was one of those that suffered, but the results show that Bielsa knew what he was doing.