Having played in two sides challenging for the Championship title, Barry Douglas has made an interesting comparison between Wolves and Leeds United’s key men in the middle of the pitch.

Arriving at the start of the 2017/18 season in England, Barry Douglas was an instant hit at Molineux as Wolves established themselves as the Championship’s top side, thanks to some very strong recruitment mainly coming from the Portuguese league.

Having lifted the title with Wolves that season, Douglas remained in the Championship for the following term, this time to try to help Leeds United to promotion under the newly-appointed Marcelo Bielsa.

While Wolves’ approach to enhancing their team was based on a complete overhaul of most of the starting 11, Bielsa was keen to enhance the players currently at his disposal, to then add signings where needed, such as Douglas.

While both sides operate in different manners, there is one similarity, in that both sides have a lynchpin for their defensive and offensive work, with Wolves having Ruben Neves and Leeds having Kalvin Phillips in holding midfield

Speaking to the club’s official website, Douglas was asked about who the best player he has played with, and instantly drew upon the similarities of the two holding midfielders at Molineux and Elland Road. He stated: “As a defensive midfielder and an array of passing Kalvin Phillips is probably the best I’ve played with.  Similarly Reuben Neves, with his vision and passing, both can make passes look so simple that others can’t play.”

Can you name the first goalscorer in Leeds' last 16 seasons?

The verdict

It’s not surprising that Douglas has been able to draw this comparison because both play very similar roles for their teams.

Neves is a very important deep playmaker with a stunning range of passing, being the start of many attacks for Nuno’s side in the Championship and now Premier League.

Phillips is of a very similar importance to Leeds at the moment with a similar range of passing, but a role much more combative than Neves’.

Both teams have a wealth of talent throughout the squad and it’s clear that Douglas has played with some very talented players in his time.

Missing football!? There's still plenty of Leeds discussion going on in the Vital Leeds Forum! Click here to get involved!