International history made as £22m Leeds United target emphatically answers Premier League question

Leeds United target and Senegal midfielder Habib Diarra made history on Tuesday evening as part of the first African side to ever beat England.

Senegal were deserved winners at the City Ground in coming back from 1-0 down to win 3-1, with Diarra right at the heart of everything positive from the visitors. The 21-year-old scored his side’s second goal - his fourth in as many international appearances - with a well-timed run in behind and finish beyond Dean Henderson, with Ismaila Sarr and Cheikh Sabaly also on target to overturn Harry Kane’s early opener.

England had never previously lost to an African side in 21 previous fixtures and while pressure mounts on manager Thomas Tuchel, Leeds fans will no doubt be encouraged by the performance of Diarra just days after a £22million bid was lodged. The YEP understands Elland Road chiefs deem other midfield targets more likely to arrive but last night’s performance showed exactly why they have moved on the RC Strasbourg Alsace star.

Diarra played 71 minutes in Nottingham and was a constant threat for the Lions of Teranga, bursting through midfield lines and regularly getting the better of England’s central options, whether it was Declan Rice, Conor Gallagher or one of the substitutes. A tireless performance appeared to emphatically answer questions over his suitability to the intensity of Premier League football.

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It remains to be seen if Leeds will be successful in their pursuit of Diarra, with more confidence over fellow recent transfer target Jaka Bijol. But his dynamic performance will have done little to quell interest in his services, particularly given Senegal boss Pape Thiaw highlighted his midfield unit as decisive in the win.

Senegal reaction as Leeds United target Habib Diarra makes history

"First thing I would like to do is to congratulate my players for the tremendous performance and mindset that they showed out on the pitch today,” Thiaw said. “I think that from the very beginning they set out the display they wanted to win. Well done to England as well, they showed some good form in certain periods of the game.

"I think we showed a great mentality, we came back, managed to equalize just before half-time. Then in the second half we were able to pose our own game a little bit more, we scored the two goals in order to win, which was a great victory for us. It was great to be able to win here, at a country imbued with football.

"I think we're strong in all areas. Today, we were especially strong in the middle. I think that some of our players have been growing into the game a lot more, they are beginning to click together, almost certainly because they are playing together a lot more.”

Leeds cannot officially sign Diarra, or anyone else, for almost a week now with the mini-transfer window closing at 7pm on Tuesday evening. They can continue to speak with clubs over possible targets but no official registrations can be complete until the full summer-long window opens on June 16.

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