Sunday’s 1-1 Premier League draw with Leicester City at Elland Road saw Leeds midfielder Forshaw making his first league start for club since playing against Swansea in August 2019.
The 30-year-old was sidelined for almost two-years as he battled a serous hip injury, but made the most out of his first league start for Leeds by dictating proceedings in the middle of the park, earning plaudits from the fans.
Former Leeds star Beckford is proud of Forshaw for fighting his way back into the team and hailed he midfielder for putting in the graft behind the scenes that ensured boss Marcelo Bielsa’s continued to trust him as he was going through a difficult spell.
Beckford stressed that Forshaw was also able to raise his game to meet the demands of the Premier League despite being on the sidelines for an extended spell.
“If he had not been putting in the work and showing what he is about, capable, his mindset, mentality behind the scenes, everything that we as football fans are not privy to seeing, if he was not doing it behind the scenes, he would not be nowhere near it [the first team]”, Beckford said on the Official Leeds United Podcast.
“But he has been grafting and he has been working super, super hard.
“He has done all the work with the first team, with the physios, he has played a number of games with the Under-23s, he has done really, really well and come through there unscathed as well, but he also had to prove it in training when he is with the first team, when he is with the regular first team.
“These boys have stepped up their levels, they have had to because it is another level.
“This is Premier League football; we are up against the best of the best.
“So, to rub shoulders with them, naturally your game has to improve and you have to switch on, you have to be quicker, you have to be sharper, you have to be stronger, you have to be mentally aware of positioning and these are things he has been working on behind the scenes and genuinely I do not think there is anybody that is more proud of him than I am.”
Bielsa has been unsuccessful in his efforts to add a new midfielder to his squad in recent transfer windows and fans will be hoping Forshaw will be able to step up and be the man his boss needs.
