Why Ross can be one of Leeds’ all-time greats

McCormack became only the 12th player in United’s long history to strike four times in one game as a display of lethal finishing sealed a 4-2 victory at The Valley on Saturday.

One first-half goal and three after half-time took McCormack – now the Championship’s top scorer – onto 12 goals for the season and 41 in total for Leeds after three years at Elland Road.

The 27-year-old is some 52 short of making United’s list of top 10 goalscorers but he is contracted to the club for another four years after signing a new deal earlier in the season.

Leeds fended off three bids from Middlesbrough to secure McCormack’s long-term future in August and the forward said his decision had been a “no-brainer”, saying he was “privileged to play for such a big club.”

United manager Brian McDermott described McCormack as a Premier League player after watching him obliterate a Charlton defence who had not conceded for seven hours prior to Saturday, and McCormack intends to play at that level saying: “You got that right – with Leeds United.

“This is my fourth year here and I’ve got a desire inside me to see this club back in the Premier League.

“I signed a new deal in the summer and no two ways about it, I could have moved on. But I signed a four-year contract because I definitely believe that within that contract we can get this club back into the Premier League. When we do that I’ll be a happy man.

“You’ve got to assess the situation – would you rather go to a Premier League team who might be in a relegation fight or do you stay here and try to become one of the top goalscorers ever at this club?

“It was a no-brainer for me and I’m privileged to play for such a big club.”

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