Llorente notched up his third Premier League start in a row on Monday night as Leeds fell to a 2-0 defeat against West Ham United at the London Stadium.
The Whites were undone from a set-piece situation again as Hammers defender Craig Dawson’s header from a corner made it two goals for the home side as the likes of Llorente looked on helplessly.
Ex-Leeds star Whelan of the view that Leeds’ centre-backs are not aggressive enough while defending and stressed Llorente and his partners in the backline needs to enjoy the physical side of the game more.
Whelan admitted he likes how comfortable Llorente is on the ball with his range of passing but explained that he is not in the squad for that but is rather on the pitch to defend aggressively.
“I like the fact that he [Llorente] is great on the ball”, Whelan said on BBC Radio Leeds after the game.
“But he is a defender and we pay him to defend, it is as simple as that
“Not thread balls through, that is what we have got midfielders for.
“I want to see an aggressive nature about our centre-halves, defending being up close and personal, enjoying that horrible side and aggressive side.
“We are too nice at times.”
Monday’s defeat saw Leeds fall to a fourth loss in their last five league outings and they will have another tough test at the weekend when they host high-flying Chelsea.
