Olivier Dacourt picked the best Leeds United player he played with at Elland Road in 2019 and it is a surprise

Add as preferred source on Google

Olivier Dacourt was arguably one of the best midfielders in Leeds United’s history without really ever reaching the heights he should have during his time at Elland Road.

The Frenchman joined Leeds back in May 2000 for a fee of £8m, a club-record fee for Leeds at that time. It comes after he had already moved to England with Everton, before going back to France with RC Lens.

He impressed at Leeds in his first season, with Leeds finishing fourth in the Premier League under David O’Leary and reaching the semi-finals of the Champions League, eventually losing to Spanish side Valencia.

Dacourt would play 48 times in all competitions that season, before another 25 the next season. But with O’Leary sacked and Terry Venables replacing him, the public spat between the two saw Dacourt depart.

Not the only Leeds player that Venables angered. Indeed, Nigel Martyn recalls being told by Venables that he would never play for Leeds again, before the England goalkeeper chose to join David Moyes’ Everton.

• READ MORE: Chris Sutton slams Junior Firpo, says he is ‘not a good teammate’

Dacourt picked the best Leeds player he played with, it’s a shock

During Dacourt’s time at Elland Road, the French midfielder played alongside the likes of Rio Ferdinand, Jonathan Woodgate, Harry Kewell, Alan Smith and Mark Viduka among many other iconic Leeds stars.

But in an interview with The Athletic in 2019, Dacourt reflected on his time at Elland Road and he said that the best Leeds player he played with during his time at Elland Road was midfielder Stephen McPhail.

“So many crazy players. No one says too much about him but the best player I saw? Stephen McPhail. His left foot… it was so good. You ask me who I want to play with most, it’s him,” Dacourt said back in 2019.

Stephen McPhail failed to live up to potential at Leeds United

Left-footed midfielder McPhail joined Leeds in 1995 as a 16-year-old and came through the Thorp Arch academy system, before breaking into the first team initially under manager George Graham in 1997.

McPhail’s time at Leeds:

Compared to Arsenal legend Liam Brady by Graham, McPhail never reached the potential he had when hefirst came through. Really, his only good season at Leeds came the campaign before Dacourt signed.

McPhail went on to enjoy more than 200 appearances at Cardiff City among other clubs, and at 44 is now Shamrock Rovers’ sporting director. A case of what could have been, if Dacourt is to be believed.