Leeds United will be fairly pleased with the way they’ve started the season.

A loss to Swansea City at the end of August saw them slip off their perch at the top of the Championship but they now sit third and remain within touching distance of the top.

In Marcelo Bielsa’s second season in charge, the target will undoubtedly be to end their 15-year absence from the Premier League and achieve promotion.

The Argentine has brought a style of play based around quick passing that requires all his players to be capable with the ball at their feet.

According to WhoScored, here are the top five Leeds players with the best pass success rate in the Championship so far this season…

5. Liam Cooper - 86.2%

Bielsa wants his side to play out from the back and it appears that Cooper is successful at doing just that, with an impressive pass success rate of 86.2%.

The centre-back has been a key player for the Whites under the Argentine boss, making 38 appearances last season and missing just one league game in the 2019/20 campaign.

He is probably playing the best football of his career, which appears not to have gone unnoticed–he was named in the EFL Team of the Season last term and made his international debut this week.

4. Kalvin Phillips - 86.4%

The talismanic midfielder is arguably the player who has been most improved under Bielsa.

Phillips plays a vital role as the sole defensive midfielder in Leeds 4-1-4-1 formation and is excellent at both the off and on the ball requirements, as evidenced by his 86.4% pass success rate.

His performances last season earned him a place in the EFL Team of the Season and reportedly the attention of some Premier League clubs, however, he looks set to remain at Elland Road for a little while yet as he has just signed a new five-year contract.

3. Ben White - 87.6%

It might surprise people that the 21-year-old is not top of this list, such have been his performances so far for Leeds.

White arrived at Elland Road on loan from Brighton in the summer and has done a fantastic job of replacing Pontus Jansson at centre-back.

Due to his distribution skills, the Englishman appears to be better suited to Bielsa’s style than Jansson and his pass success rate of 87.6% mirrors that.

2. Barry Douglas - 88.1%

Leeds fans could be forgiven for feeling they haven’t quite seen the best of the Scottish left-back yet.

He tore through the Championship with Wolves in the 2017/18 campaign, contributing five goals and 15 assists, but has provided just five assists in total for the Whites.

Douglas has been in and out of the side due to injury this season but will undoubtedly have impressed his manager with the way he has looked after the ball, earning a pass success rate of 88.1%.

1. Adam Forshaw - 90.8%

Forshaw in the top spot may surprise a few but he has played a key role in central midfield for Leeds this season, linking up defence and attack.

There were reports that the 27-year-old would leave the club over the summer after making just 20 league starts last season but he stayed and has started every single league game of the new campaign. 

The return of Tyler Roberts may mean less first-team minutes for Forshaw but at the moment, as his fantastic pass success rate of 90.8% shows, he is proving his worth to Bielsa.