Daniel Farke reveals secret to Leeds United man's resurrection ahead of vital play-off role vs Southampton

Rutter suffered a torrid introduction to English football after a club-record £37m move from Hoffenheim in the January 2023 transfer window. At a time when Leeds were in need of a goalscoring targetman, Rutter struggled to fit the bill in a struggling Premier League side as managers came and went. A confidence player, the 22-year-old failed to impose himself on the starting XI and when Farke arrived in the summer he was faced with a big resurrection job when it came to the attacker's morale.

According to Farke, two-way conversations were vital at the outset of their working relationship. "In the beginning communication was quite important, I also listened to what he said," explained the German. "Sometimes you get the feeling I have to give message after message but it's important to listen and get a feeling for what the problem is. This was key. And to work with him and communicate about finding good solutions, selling your plan and ideas to the players. Then it's about acting, how you work with them and interact with them on the training pitch and during games. Then it comes down to hard work."

Whatever was said between the two in the early days of Farke's reign, it worked a treat. Ahead of the Championship play-off final at Wembley on Sunday, Rutter is sitting on eight goals and 18 assists for the season - a record made all the more remarkable by a barren spell following the March international break, during which he had a hernia operation.

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That spell was brought to an end in the play-off semi-final as Rutter returned to something more closely resembling his best form, dribbling past defenders again and finding passes in the final third, before slamming in the third goal to take the game away from Norwich. One of the Championship's most creative players, Rutter has become one of this squad's most popular characters among Leeds fans, earning plaudits and having his name sung from the stands.

He deserves credit too, says his manager, for overcoming initial adversity and listening to what was said in order to become an important player for Leeds. Farke said: "I would never praise myself for developing a player, I will only praise them. We can try to help them but they have to make the step through the door and take on board the good advice and messages. Once a player like Georgi, who had a difficult start to Leeds life for many reasons, develops in this way - even with challenging spells - and has a fantastic season, you have to say all credit goes to him. Hopefully he can deliver this in one more game."