Leeds United star has been quietly outstanding since making his first start in October

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It is fair to say that it has taken the majority of Leeds United’s summer signings some time to get going in the Premier League.

Heading into December, it appeared that Daniel Farke was on the brink at Elland Road. Leeds had lost four in a row, while their only victories at that stage had come against Everton, Wolves, and West Ham.

But the change of system at Manchester City proved to be a turning point. The Whites have been exceptional over the last few weeks. And a 1-1 draw with Manchester United on Sunday means that Leeds are now eight points clear of the bottom three.

The result at Elland Road was underwhelming in some ways. But there were some outstanding performances in the draw, with one player arguably going under the radar with a colossal display.

Leeds’ summer signing is quickly looking like a steal

Leeds not having Joe Rodon, Ethan Ampadu and Jayden Bogle for Sunday was a significant setback. Matheus Cunha was a threat all day for the visitors, going on to bag the equaliser.

But Manchester United gave Lucas Perri little to do – largely because of the commanding performance of Jaka Bijol at the heart of the defence.

Bijol made eight clearances while he also made three interceptions, according to Whoscored. No player made more in either category.

Some of his reading of the game was exceptional. When the visitors threatened to capitalise on the chaos in the middle of the park, the 26-year-old was often there to take charge.

He appears to be a calming presence at a time when Leeds lack a goalkeeper who can provide any assurances to the players in front of him.

Leeds may have already succeeded where they failed in their previous Premier League run

It is easy to forget now that Bijol had a very slow start to his Leeds United career. He had to be patient, not making his first start in the league until the win over West Ham in October.

There were quickly some bumps in the road. However, the £15 million signing is now looking like an absolute steal for the Whites.

He has arguably been Leeds’ most consistent performer during the team’s unbeaten run, with Brenden Aaronson and Dominic Calvert-Lewin the other contenders.

Leeds fans know better than most after our previous stint in the Premier League just how difficult it can be to find outstanding centre-backs. The likes of Robin Koch and Diego Llorente never managed to fully silence their doubters for a variety of reasons.

The early signs suggest that Leeds have, however, uncovered a real gem in Bijol.