Leeds United's Mateusz Klich has Forest Gump-like attitude to running but he's so much more than his kilometres

But while Tom Hanks' lovable character from the 1994 classic just felt like running for no particular reason, Klich runs because it helps him play at his very best for Leeds United.

Head coach Marcelo Bielsa recently revealed that Klich runs close to 12km in games, with one kilometre of that distance made up of high intensity sprints.

His running stats put him up there with the likes of ex Leeds man James Milner, who ran a similar distance per 90 minutes in his glorious Champions League campaign last season.

The kilometres he covers is not something that occupies the Polish international's mind once the whistle blows but he knows the more he runs, the happier Bielsa will be.

"I never think about how much I run during the game," said the midfielder, who has played all 37 of this season's Championship games and is currently on an 85-game unbroken streak of starts in the league under Bielsa.

"I just try to do what the manager expects from me and try to play my own game. He always says the games I run the most is when I play my best and I kind of agree with him."

Fortunately, Klich likes running. Especially when his exhaustive efforts help to bring victories, like the five straight Leeds have put together since their 1-1 draw at Brentford on February 11.

"I like to do it," he said.

"It is enjoyable if you keep running so much and keep winning games.

"If I see that my running helps the team then I just keep running."

He does more than that too.

This season Klich has scored five goals, assisted four and made 1.9 key passes per game, a rate that ranks him in the top 15 players in the division.

And he defends, in both the opposition half and his own, which is not his favourite responsibility but another thing he's willing to accept for the greater Elland Road good.

"I enjoy more attacking but you have to defend as well," he said.

"I play number four, eight and number 10 this season. I just like to play in centre midfield to be in the middle of everything.

"It depends what we need. If Kalvin [Phillips] is suspended I had to drop a little bit and I tried to do his job.

"I like to play more forward with the attacking play but if I have to do some defensive work I'm okay with it, no problem."

Klich's contribution has been consistent all season but in recent weeks he has shone.

Three assists and a goal in his last five games have helped Leeds return to the top of the Championship, restoring a seven-point gap between themselves and the play-off places.

With nine games left it would be a tall order to match last season's goal tally of 10, but Klich hopes to finish with a flourish.

"I never scored so many goals like last season," he said.

"I used to say I like assists more than goals because I wasn't scoring but now score more so I say goals are nice.

"I would love to have more goals than last season but it is going to be hard.

"I'm missing some goals but in the last couple of games it has been good and I hope it is going to be even better."