Leeds United sign Tyler Adams from RB Leipzig and gain a versatile, intelligent leader

Like many of Leeds's summer signings, he comes with a ready-made relationship with coach Jesse Marsch, who handed him his senior debut.

Adams came through the academy at New York Red Bulls and when Marsch moved to sister club Leipzig (via a spell at Salzburg), Adams was already there. They will now work together for a third time after Adams signed a five-year contract at Elland Road.

Although the 23-year-old is a versatile player who has appeared at right-back and central midfielder, he described himself as developing into a "hybrid six or eight" under Marsch's predecessor in East Germany, Julian Nagelsmann.

"Six" is the short-hand for a holding midfielder, the job Phillips reveled in under Marcelo Bielsa and is expected to take up at Manchester City after completing a £45m move from Leeds. An "eight" is a box-to-box midfielder, more like the role Phillips plays for England.

But if now-Bayern Munich coach Nagelsmann has been a big influence on Adams's career, Marsch has arguably been the biggest. He gave him his New York Red Bulls debut as a 16-year-old in a summer friendly against Chelsea, and the youngster repaid him with a goal. It was the following year before he played in Major League Soccer for the first time.

As his flexibility would suggest, it was his intelligence as well as his footballing skills which marked Adams out in Marsch's eyes.

"I met him when he was 15-years-old," he once recalled to Sky Sports. "I watched him play a game. I had a 10-minute conversation with him after the game and I said to myself, 'This kid is going to be massive.'

"At 15, it was so easy to see that he had the tools, mostly from a mental and intelligence perspective, to do whatever it takes. Obviously, they need to be steeped in talent but it ends up being more about their mindset than it does about their actual talent."

United States coach Gregg Berhalter is also a big fan and although he did not hand Adams his international debut, he has made him a key figure in the last 18 months, even handing him the captain's armband at times despite being a bit-part player with Leipzig.

Phillips was part of Marsch's "leadership council" and Adams would seem well-suited to replace him there too.

This winter's World Cup, where the US are in a group with England, would have only increased the attraction of a move. As well as regular football, Adams will be able to continue his relationship with international team-mate Brenden Aaronson.

Aaronson is another summer signing to have played under Marsch before, having been at Salzburg with new Leeds right-back right-back Rasmus Kritstensen. Midfielder Marc Roca, who is expected to back up Adams, has not worked under Marsch before, though he did play for Nagelsmann.

Darko Gyabi has joined as a development player from Manchester City.Leeds continue to look for attacking reinforcements, with Brugge striker Charles de Ketelaere thought to be on their shopping list but a few others too, including Leciester City. Feyenoord winger Luis Sinisterra has been earmarked as a potential replacement for Raphinha, who is interesting Barcelona, Chelsea and Arsenal.