Leeds United’s Pablo Hernandez has told LUTV he always wanted to remain at the club.

Hernandez has signed a deal with the Whites until the end of the season, having initially joined the club on a six-month loan deal in the summer, from Qatar outfit Al-Arabi.

The deal also includes the option of a 12-month extension.

The Spanish playmaker told the club's official website he was “very happy to sign a permanent deal” with the club he has made 18 appearances for this season.

Hernandez, who has become the club's first signing of the January transfer window, continued: “I knew I initially came here on loan for six months, but in my mind I always wanted to stay here for longer.”

After a slow start to the season the former Valencia player has shone for Leeds, scoring the first of his three goals for the club against Cardiff in September.

Like their new signing, Leeds also struggled in the early stages of the season but enter 2017 looking well placed for a return to the Premier League, Hernandez said:

“It has been a good season so far, it will be a good challenge for the next five or six months to fight for the top positions in the table.

“We have a lot of games in front of us, we need to take it game by game and we can’t get too far ahead of ourselves.”

Hernandez was not involved last night, as Leeds came from behind to beat Cambridge United in the Third Round of the FA Cup, but is expected to feature in Friday night's clash with Derby County.

Leeds fans… are you happy to see Pablo Hernandez commit to the club for the rest of the season? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!