Marsch making moves: Leeds eye "gorgeous" 23 y/o gem, he's more exciting than Raphinha - opinion

Leeds United boss Jesse Marsch is already making movements behind-the-scenes, with the club already lining up a potential transfer target for the summer…

According to journalist Manuel Veth, the new Whites manager is considering making Montreal forward Djordje Mihailovic his first signing at Elland Road.

A versatile attacker who predominantly plays off the left flank, the 23-year-old Mihailovic is the kind of exciting winger that would make for a very dynamic wing tandem with Raphinha.

Mihailovic has also come in for some rave reviews from some of the greats of the game, with his former teammate at Chicago Fire, Bastian Schweinsteiger, saying: “You can see he is a football player, he is technical, clear, he was not always passing the ball to the first option, but also the second option.

“He was moving more fluid and not so mechanical. He was also actually confident about himself, that he was better than one or the other. It’s a thing that was good to see, because he knows his strengths. But you also need to have patience as a young player and be willing to learn every day… The most important thing for me is that he’s always ready to learn.”

His performances in the MLS last year were a testament to just how much he has grown as a player, averaging an impressive 2.3 key passes per game, creating 18 official big chances, and chipping in with a whopping 14 assists too – it’s no surprise then that journalist Chris Smith hailed him as a “gorgeous passer” of the ball.

When you compare some of his key stats to Raphinha, it’s arguably even more exciting than Raphinha.

The USA U23 international averages a better successful dribble rate (60% compared to Raphinha’s 44%), wins a better proportion of his total duels, wins back