We rated every single Leeds United player's performance this season to rank Daniel Farke's stars

Squad depth was one of the many concerns throughout the summer window when it came to Leeds United. The ‘what ifs’ were numerous, although they centred more intensely around the number 10 position and centre-back, particularly on the right hand side where Joe Rodon is backed up only by a teenage prospect fresh out of the Under 21s. The what if that no one saw coming was a pair of knee injuries striking down both Ethan Ampadu and Ilia Gruev in the space of a few days. That is what has been occupying minds in Leeds’ recruitment department and at Thorp Arch where Daniel Farke is back plotting solutions this week.

Should they decide to pull the trigger on a free agent move, Cheikhou Kouyaté is one of the names currently in the frame. A Premier League veteran of almost 300 appearances, an African Cup of Nations and Belgium top flight title winner and a ‘duel monster’ according to the YEP’s tactical analysis of what he would bring to Leeds. The 34-year-old is one of a small number of players Leeds have been looking at as they decide how best to protect Farke’s squad from the possibility of further injuries in midfield. Should either of Ao Tanaka or Joe Rothwell become unavailable then Farke’s next cab off the rank is highly-rated but unproven 18-year-old Charlie Crew.

The midfield puzzle appears to be the biggest current threat to Leeds’ promotion hopes because elsewhere, there are players playing very well and giving their side every chance of being right up there. If Leeds can keep Willy Gnonto fit he will terrorise the division, on recent evidence and any team with him, Largie Ramazani, Mateo Joseph, Brenden Aaronson, Joel Piroe et al should be in with a shout of getting a victory in just about any game. At the back, Pascal Struijk is reiterating his importance and Joe Rodon has been steady for the most part. The full-backs, Junior Firpo and Jayden Bogle, are creating danger and chances as well as popping up with goals. There is sufficient talent in the squad to make Leeds competitive and players sticking their hands in the air when it comes to big moments. You don’t need to work out the average of the YEP’s individual match ratings to pick out the star man, he’s that obvious, but we’ve gone ahead and done it anyway in order to rank the squad.

But there are a few caveats to keep in mind. Some players have earned but a couple of ratings - a player needs to be on the pitch for 15 minutes or so at least in order to earn one - and have therefore been ruled out of this ranking list. Isaac Schmidt, for example, has just one rating to his name - a 7 - and that would put him in a relatively unrealistic position in the list. Others may seem to be struggling when you take the rating alone into consideration, but a player with few minutes and just a handful of cameo appearances can find it hard to shine or hit his rhythm. That is especially true for strikers and attackers, thrown into games that have been a struggle for Leeds. The final caveat is that the ratings are entirely subjective. One man’s 8 out of 10 is another’s 6.5. What the ratings do, when averaged out across a number of games, is paint a picture of who is impressing, who is simply performing at a steady level and who has not yet been able to shine.

As for this season, so far, the ratings suggest that there is a lot more to come from Leeds. Without really hitting top gear consistently, they have put themselves in a decent position in the league and done enough to suggest the promotion bid is alive and well after almost a fifth of the Championship campaign.