Leeds United repurposing a 'weird' member of Daniel Farke's squad has paid off handsomely this season and marked him out as a bargain.

The Anton Stach who played for Hoffenheim was a little different to the one that has shone at Leeds since last summer's £17m move to Elland Road. For the Bundesliga side he was a centre-back, a central midfielder and a right midfielder but most of all he was a number 6, playing just in front of the back line. At Leeds he has been pushed further forward, operating in central midfield. At times he has almost positioned himself as a number 10 or inverted winger and Leeds have reaped the rewards. He and Brenden Aaronson have created the joint-most tally of big chances in the Leeds squad with nine apiece and Stach is delivering by far the most key passes per game. The wider divisional context is even more impressive - the German is third in the Premier League for chances created and fourth for key passes.

Scoring direct free-kicks and goals from distance will go a long way to endearing a player to the Elland Road masses but Stach's quirky personality and penchant for social media creativity, in league with his graphic designer wife Katha, has boosted his popularity. The pair come up with matchday graphics that thumb the nose at the generic posts that litter the Instagram accounts of top professionals and have started a YouTube channel.

Farke admits that he spends a lot of his time giving Stach grief but admits his compatriot is among Leeds' top performers in his first season.

"He is a bit weird, a crazy guy, he can be a bit sleepy and cheeky and weird," said Farke. "He gets a lot of stick from myself. But he delivers quality performances from his first day. He has to sit with the big dogs in the centre of the park, has to be competitive physically, run our game technically, he delivers top distance covered, set-pieces, strong in duels. He plays an outstanding season and deserves all the praise. One of our best and key players at this level."

According to Farke Stach's best position is simply the one in which he plays for Leeds, even if at 6ft 4ins he does not resemble a traditional attacking midfielder.

"Wherever I put him," said the manager. "He can play like a number 10 though it looks like Peter Crouch, but he's bloody effective in this position. He's outstanding in the pressing, good with second balls, sometimes with a key pass. He can play everywhere, especially in the centre of the game. I like to have him there involved in many duels and touches. I like him in the deeper role when he has a bit more space in front of him but when I need him in a higher role he can deliver there. It's great to have such a versatile player."

Stach's most recent performance in the 3-1 win over relegated Burnley earned him the Man of the Match prize. He opened the scoring with a precise drive from distance and caused havoc when the Clarets had the ball. His set-piece deliveries also gave the visitors problems and he peppered five shots at Burnley's goal. No one on the pitch matched his three key passes and no other Leeds player won more free-kicks or produced more crosses.