Leeds United fans will have fantasised about their side being top of the Championship table on January 1 at the start of the season. 

But that fantasy is now very much a reality.

Marcelo Bielsa has worked absolute wonders at Elland Road so far, turning a squad that largely looked ill-suited to the Championship work-load last season, into the most impressive unit around.

His high-intensity, slick style of play has frequently left the opposition baffled and ultimately clueless in how to stop them and it is what has led them to the position they currently occupy.

It does, however, now look like the aspect that could also send this most impressive of seasons crashing to the ground.

With just 25 players to choose from, Bielsa has one of the smallest squads in the Championship. It is something he has always had at previous clubs, preferring to operate with a smaller, tight-knit bunch than an overstocked dressing room.

But injuries are catching up with them and tiredness is well and truly beginning to creep in. The 4-2 defeat to Nottingham Forest on New Years Day showed that better than anything. Sloppy mistakes in midfield and rash tackles are all signs of a burnout creeping in.

Defensive midfield is the position where this is arguably becoming most prevalent. With centre-back and captain Liam Cooper missing, midfield enforcer Kalvin Phillips was forced into the back-four, leaving Adam Forshaw to marshall the midfield.

With Phillips sent off and a sloppy Forshaw pass leading to a goal, it became obvious that enforcements are badly needed.

Luckily, the Whites have a month to fix that in the January transfer window, and the player they should move for currently wears the armband at a fellow second-tier club.

Hull City are on a tremendous run of form, winning their last five to fire themselves well clear of relegation trouble, with midfielder Markus Henriksen proving a crucial part of that.

The Norwegian has been a calming influence in midfield, keeping things ticking over with an impressive range of passing and an impressive ability to snuff out opposition attacks.

His contract is set to expire in the summer and with Leeds badly in need of winter recruits, this proven Championship midfielder is surely a tremendous and very good value option.