Marcelo Bielsa called ex-Swansea and Leeds United star one of his best - now he's a manager | OneFootball

Pablo Hernandez earned the respect of legendary manager Marcelo Bielsa at Leeds and is now in management himself

Marcelo Bielsa's Leeds United sides in the Championship between 2018 and 2020 revitalised the sleeping giant and led the club back into the Premier League after a 16-year absence.

The legendary Argentinian boss raised the levels of players who, before, were part of a mid-table side, making them great. In Pablo Hernandez, he made an already top-end Championship attacking midfielder into one of the best players in the league.

The Spaniard had an extensive top-flight background before he moved to Leeds in 2016, reuniting at the time with Gary Monk, who coached him briefly at Swansea City before he left South Wales for a spell in Qatar.

And while Hernandez put up brilliant numbers under the likes of Monk, Thomas Christensen and even Paul Heckingbottom, it was under Bielsa that he underwent career-best form.

Now, he's following in the Argentinian's footsteps, looking to make a name for himself in the dugout following his retirement.

Pablo Hernandez's career-best years under Marcelo Bielsa

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Marcelo Bielsa arrived at Elland Road in 2018, following a campaign where Leeds had started strong under Thomas Christensen but fell away massively in the second half of the season, finishing 13th.

Hernandez still ended the campaign with 16 goal contributions in 41 league outings, which bettered the 14 he managed in his first year at the club, but in that first season under Bielsa, the Spaniard was near-unstoppable.

He got on the scoresheet in that memorable first game under the Argentine against Stoke City at Elland Road, in which Leeds blitzed the recently relegated Potters, winning 3-1. That would be the first of 12 goals scored that season, along with 12 assists, too.

Hernandez was one of the many strong Championship players in what's known to be a so-called 'golden era' of second-tier stars. His 24 goal contributions didn't even rank in the top 10, but taking out recognised strikers, only Jarrod Bowen contributed more that season.

Leeds would ultimately fall in the play-offs that year against Derby County, but bounced back in the 2019/20 term. Hernandez would score nine and assist nine, with six goal contributions coming in the final five games. That late winner at former club Swansea saw them move one step closer to the Premier League, which they ultimately achieved.

Marcelo Bielsa called Pablo Hernandez "one of the best" he'd ever coached

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It didn't take long for Marcelo Bielsa to become a fan of Hernandez. Indeed, just five league games into his tenure, he called the Spaniard one of the best players he'd ever coached.

Given Bielsa had spent time coaching the likes of Alexis Sanchez, Dimitri Payet, Maxi Rodriguez and Ander Herrera in attacking midfield positions, that was some praise.

"He is one of the best players in his position I have worked with in my career," Bielsa said after Hernandez netted in a 3-0 away win against Norwich City to extend their unbeaten run under him.

"I think he is the player in our team who has had the biggest influence in our games so far. There is a great lucidity about his play — he always seems to instinctively know what to do for the needs of the team — and he can influence the game at the front, middle and the back.

"He can find a solution to a problem anywhere on the pitch and is always making the team more fluid with what he does. He is a silent leader for us — he does all these things without saying a word."

Pablo Hernandez has since become a manager after retiring from football

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Injury issues and the demand to improve the squad ahead of the 2020/21 Premier League campaign meant that Hernandez didn't get much time on the pitch in Leeds' first season back in the big time.

Aged 36, he left the club at the end of the season to see out the rest of his career at boyhood club Castellon, who had just been relegated to the third tier.

The Spanish outfit were promoted to the Segunda Division back in 2024, and now look to be knocking on the door of La Liga with Hernandez at the helm.

The 41-year-old spent a year coaching the B side before being named caretaker boss for the senior squad in September 2025. He made a brilliant impression, as he was handed the permanent role a couple of months later and renewed his contract this summer until 2029.

Pablo Hernandez will use what he learned from Marcelo Bielsa to try and oversee a top-flight promotion with Castellon

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Castellon have made a bright start in Hernandez's second full year in charge, currently sitting joint-top in the Segunda Division after three games, winning two and drawing the other.

Los Albinegros haven't been a top-flight side since the 1990/91 campaign, and were in the fourth tier as recently as the 2017/18 term. Hernandez would love to oversee a return to La Liga for his boyhood club, cementing his legendary status there.

He's spent time learning and developing under one of the most well-respected managers in footballing history, Marcelo Bielsa, and perhaps his own brand of Bielsa-ball is being deployed over in Spain right now.