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Eddie Gray has admitted he’s been surprised by the impact of Brazilian attacker Raphinha at Elland Road, as he felt he would need time to adjust to Leeds United’s style of play and didn’t see such a quick start.

The 23-year-old moved to Yorkshire in the summer window from French club Rennes and has managed to force his way into Marcelo Bielsa’s XI in recent games ahead of teammate Helder Costa.

Raphinha was the star man in the recent 1-0 victory against Everton with his left-footed strike from distance earning the three league points and he’s injected even more quality in the final third to a team that usually scores goals freely.

He is a left-footed attacker that likes to cut infield from the right flank, plus he’s got the energy, speed and movement that Bielsa looks for in his forward players.

Gray has raved about the Leeds summer signing after his recent display at Goodison Park away to Everton:

“I thought he played very well [against Everton]. That’s the one thing I like about players like Raphinha. If they make a mistake it doesn’t worry them they get on with it, they keep trying things,” Gray told LUTV.

“He was unlucky a couple of times, but he kept trying to get into good areas and he got the reward with his goal. I thought he was tremendous. I think it suits him floating about the pitch.

“He’s settled in very quickly, a lot quicker than actually I thought he would. When I first seen him I thought it would take a little bit of time, but I think he’s got used to the pace of the Premier League. He’s comfortable with the players he’s playing with and comfortable in his own game. I think he’ll go from strength to strength because he’s a very talented player.”

TBR’s View:

There was a fair amount of expectation on the shoulders of Raphinha following his £17million move (BBC) to Elland Road, but Leeds supporters have been extremely impressed so far and he fully announced his arrival at the weekend with his winning strike against Everton in the Premier League.

It looks like he could become a mainstay in the side given his creativity in attack and is a flair player that is already becoming a fan favourite.

It’ll be interesting to see how he fares in the upcoming league fixture against Chelsea, as he’ll surely be desperate to make an impact against the big teams.