Having joined the club on an initial six-month loan deal back in the summer of 2016, Pablo Hernandez has proven himself to be a mainstay of the first-team squad at Leeds.

The man signed by Garry Monk has since played 150 times for the Whites – just seven less than the total he managed for Valencia in the early days of his footballing career.

And his numbers have been the best it’s ever been. The £1.35m-rated ace has scored 33 times and provided a further 36 assists in his time at Elland Road, and this season has been particularly impressive, given that he will turn 35 next month.

Watch Leeds United Videos With StreamFootball.tv Below

He has managed six goals and six assists in 28 appearances in the Championship, whilst his form prior to the postponement of football a couple of weeks ago was a sign of someone who was really stepping up his game at the business end of the season. In his last four games in the league, he found the back of the net twice and set up two others, including providing the match-winning contribution in back-to-back matches against Reading and Middlesbrough respectively.

As per Whoscored, his average match rating of 7.19 in the Championship is the third-highest of any player in the Leeds squad, only behind Luke Ayling and Kalvin Phillips. Whilst the latter has been the talk of a high-profile move to Manchester United and has thus been in the spotlight a lot more, Hernandez has quietly been going about his business.

Are you a Championship expert? How much did each of these big-money signings cost?

He ranks second for both goals scored and assists provided this campaign, whilst his total of 1.5 tackles, 2.3 shots and 2.3 key passes per game ranks him 6th, 2nd and 1st amongst his teammates. It’s no wonder then that he has been widely praised for his ageless displays this year.

Speaking earlier in 2020, Marcelo Bielsa remarked: “When he plays well, the team plays well. When he is at a good football level, a good fitness level, he is well and the team plays well as well.”

And judging by Hernandez’s performances and end product, it’s no surprise Leeds are so close to a return to the top-flight.

Meanwhile, selling this star could be Leeds’ worst mistake ever.