Leeds United's £30m Tyler Adams replacement and the evidence against recent Whites myth

There have been suggestions in recent weeks, in the discussion of Javi Gracia's brave new Whites world, that Adams is not the force he once was under Jesse Marsch's system. In the opening months of the season the midfielder gave his £20m price tag a distinctly bargainous look, consistently putting in aggressive, influential performances. Then came the World Cup in Qatar, where the American's eye-catching displays made him a linchpin for his country, in the way he has become one for his club since arriving from RB Leipzig in the summer.

But the departure of the man for whom he was signed and the arrival of Gracia has coincided with a feeling that this new system and it's new, more patient style of possession, doesn't wear as well on Adams as Marschball.It can't be called more than a feeling, because as of right now, there just isn't any evidence to present it as a theory. Maybe, just maybe, it's more like a myth.

From an admittedly small number of games under Gracia, Adams' numbers do not suggest that his star is on the wane or that his influence has weakened. He's no less busy and he's no more inaccurate in his passing. Thirteen of his 47 interceptions this season have come during Gracia's tenure. He's won seven of the eight tackles attempted since the Spaniard took charge. Although he's pressuring fewer opponents, Leeds are not rushing in as they once were in a new, more measured pressing system.

The four shot-creating actions he compiled against Brighton were his second highest tally of the season. Under Gracia, Adams' ball carries have remained slightly above his season average and although last weekend his number of touches was below that record against Southampton and Chelsea, it was higher than the number racked up in eight other games this season.

His passing statistics under Gracia show a slight increase in accuracy for both short and medium deliveries and only a small decrease for long passes. He's attempting a similar number of each kind of pass, too, and his forward pass rate has not dipped much at all. He's not giving the ball away with any greater frequency, although the areas of the pitch and the situations he finds himself in when he does concede possession may of course now differ. Adams does tend to play the ball quickly, shifting it on with one or two touches, going backwards when maybe it could go forwards with a little more bravery or invention, yet that is likely a symptom of the football he has been schooled in. It's certainly nothing new.

Watching him play, you might pick at his ability to receive the ball in highly-pressured situations and his prowess when it comes to playing forward with efficiency in such scenarios, but for a number six, a midfield enforcer, the job he's doing is the one he was brought in to do. The big switches and the through balls are what Marc Roca is there for. What's more, Adams showed against Brighton that he is still able to get up the pitch and make something happen. He presented Brenden Aaronson with a second half chance, then found his USMNT colleague with a nice ball clipped over the defence, broke lines to put Patrick Bamford in and did the same to play Rodrigo in on goal. It wasn't a creative tour de force, or even his best performance of the season, but on top of all the other work he gets through, it was good enough.

If there has been a detrimental impact on Adams' game, from Gracia's changes, it has not yet been seen in the numbers or made itself particularly visible in matches. So the question for Gracia is certainly not should Adams play, but who should play around him. Now, of course, a hamstring injury has forced the head coach to think about who should play instead of the American.

The answer is likely Weston McKennie, a player signed initially on loan who could cost around £30m, a player who knows Adams’ role so well having played next to him so many times and a player who will bring a bit more ball carrying to the table, while covering a serious amount of ground. He'll have to put himself about a fair bit too, to compensate for the loss of the midfield bite, blocks, interceptions and pressure Adams provides.

This feeling that Adams' impact isn't the same won't be proven or otherwise this weekend, or until Gracia's reign has lasted many more games. On the evidence to date, as was the case with Kalvin Phillips, it's possible that Adams' absence will speak up for exactly what it is that he does and how important he is.