Leeds United powered onto their 24th Championship win of the season – and their 11th victory of 2024 already in the league – when Daniel Farke's men swept aside Sheffield Wednesday 2-0 at Hillsborough on Friday night.
Patrick Bamford and Wilfried Gnonto were the heroes in South Yorkshire sharing the goals between them, with Bamford collecting his seventh strike of the campaign after exploding into life this year back in the first-team mix.
Crysencio Summerville was somewhat quiet down the left channel against Danny Rohl's men in contrast, the electric Dutch winger now goalless in his last five second-tier matches off the back of another unmemorable display.
With Jaidon Anthony not being available for selection on Friday to come on in Summerville's place, Farke could look towards the future soon for replacements that can come in and fill a gap.
Although not available due to being out on loan, in due course the manager could well look towards a Whites youngster, who is starring away from Elland Road in an unfamiliar left-wing spot.
Darko Gyabi's time at Leeds
Darko Gyabi joined Leeds tipped for big things back in 2022, relocating from Manchester City for a fee of £5m which saw Whites icon Kalvin Phillips swap his boyhood club for Pep Guardiola's giants as part of the deal.
Despite the large fee to get the deal over the line pointing in the direction that Gyabi would instantly be dropped into the senior fold in West Yorkshire, the current Plymouth Argyle loanee has only really excelled for Leeds in the youth set-ups since his major move.
The ex-Man City midfielder has bagged two goals and picked up four assists for the U21s from 28 appearances, which resulted in the 20-year-old talent being given first-team opportunities here and there last campaign.
1. GK – Joel Robles
2. RB – Luke Ayling
3. CB – Diego Llorente
4. CB – Leo Hjelde
5. LB – Junior Firpo
6. RW – Jack Harrison
7. CM – Darko Gyabi
8. CM – Mateusz Klich
9. LW – Mateo Joseph
10. ST – Joe Gelhardt
11. ST – Sonny Perkins
Gyabi would go on to amass just five first-team appearances though and would become a fringe figure as a result, leading to the exciting youngster heading out the door from Leeds this season on loan to Plymouth lower down the Championship standings.
It's already proving to be a beneficial loan spell for the towering 6 foot 5 midfielder in Devon, who is surprisingly excelling down the left channel for Ian Foster's relegation-threatened side in recent weeks to the amazement of Farke and Co back at his parent club.
Darko Gyabi's time at Plymouth
Gyabi didn't instantly hit the ground running in his new surroundings, the 20-year-old taking time to acclimatise to Home Park and the expectations on his shoulders to be a bright spark in the midst of a relegation battle.
Weirdly enough, the hot prospect would struggle in his standard central midfield spot for the Pilgrims towards the beginning of his stint away from Leeds – the current Plymouth number 18 only completing ten accurate passes in total from the middle of the park against Swansea City at the start of February.
He has since come into his own being pushed forward into a left-wing spot by Ian Foster, a masterstroke decision by the under-pressure Argyle boss.
The 20-year-old's first game in this once unusual position in the Plymouth XI would see him pick up an assist away at Middlesbrough, teeing up Ryan Hardie for the game-clinching second goal at the Riverside Stadium in the 2-0 away day win.
Amassing four key passes versus Boro, alongside firing three shots on the opposition goal himself to try and make the victory even more smooth sailing, Gyabi's lively display didn't go unnoticed by former Argyle defender turned pundit Hasney Aljofree at full-time.
Aljofree, when talking to Plymouth Live post-match, would describe Gyabi's individual showing as "fearless" and praised Foster for playing him in a role that means he could attack with more freedom as opposed to being shackled by playing deeper.
Gyabi's continued excellence pulling on an Argyle strip in this role has even led to him collecting the February Player of the Month accolade for his new Devon-based outfit, with Farke keeping a very close eye on his youngster's progression now and his fantastic adaptability to play in a forward role being unearthed.
Anthony's loan being up in the summer could present Gyabi with more first-team opportunities next season, the 20-year-old transforming into an exciting left winger now as opposed to just being useful in the middle of the pitch.
When Anthony does return back to the Cherries when the season is over and done, Leeds will only really be left with Summerville as a confident left winger with Gnonto far more adept at playing down the opposite channel now.
As a cost-effective measure, giving Gyabi time to impress down the left wing as a potential Summerville understudy could well work next campaign.
No doubt, on top of Gyabi offering another body in this sparse position, the former Man City midfielder will also still be able to fill in playing in a holding role if required alongside offering competition to the likes of Joel Piroe and Georginio Rutter in that number ten slot.
It would feel like a massive waste of money and time if the 6 foot 5 starlet is just chucked to the scrap heap after his loan with Plymouth is up, especially considering how highly rated he was when joining the Elland Road ranks just two years ago.
Farke won't be afraid to launch Gyabi into the first team fold despite his relative inexperience either, knowing that Archie Gray has come into the senior side and succeeded with flying colours at 17 years of age alongside U21 hotshot Mateo Joseph showing flashes of brilliance in his XI.
Could the popular German manager do the same with Gyabi next campaign?