The defender captained the Reds to victory in West Yorkshire in a fixture he scored in last year.
After being recalled to the side by Erik ten Hag, he produced a resolute performance in helping to keep a clean sheet and the boss was keen to point out the centre-back is an important player.
"We have seen him in a lot of games already," said the manager. "He played also against Reading and, in other games, he came on. I think he played against Bournemouth too. He will play his games definitely. We need him. He's a good player.