Former Leeds United defender and current Ipswich Town star Leif Davis now in company of Lionel Messi and Kevin De Bruyne in assists chart

Leif Davis trained as part of the Leeds squad ahead of the 2022/23 season and even featured on the pre-season tour in Australia. However, his time at Elland Road came to an end when he sealed a permanent move to Ipswich Town.

His first season permanently away from West Yorkshire could arguably not have gone much better – he helped the Tractor Boys win promotion to the second tier and was named in the League One Team of the Season.

The 23-year-old registered 14 league assists in his debut third tier campaign and as highlighted by The Athletic, only Lionel Messi and Kevin De Bruyne have bettered him across Europe’s five leagues this season.

He has thrived under the tutelage of Ipswich boss Kieran McKenna but in an interview with The Athletic, reserved praise for another coach who has helped him flourish – former Leeds head coach Marcelo Bielsa.

He said: “Marcelo liked how I was on the ball, my passing ability. I always saw myself as a left-back but working with him was like, ‘Wow, this is another level.’ It was incredible how he improved footballers. If you can’t learn under him, you won’t learn from anyone.”

Davis joined Leeds as somewhat of an unknown quantity in 2018 having been plucked from Morecambe while still yet to make a professional appearance. He has admitted to having had a tear in his eye when the time came to leave Elland Road in 2022.

He told The Athletic: “It was upsetting. I remember having a tear in my eye because of all the friends I had made at Leeds. It was a hard decision for me. But I needed to play regular games. It was no good for me to be sitting on the bench in the Premier League.”