Jordan Botaka starring in Belgium after failing at Leeds

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Jordan Botaka failed to impress during a short stint at Leeds United after joining the club in the summer of 2015. Now, he is shining in Belgium as captain of Sint-Truiden.

Botaka, 25, joined Leeds from Dutch side Excelsior with the reputation as a trickster out wide. But he managed just 14 appearances for the Whites, before being offloaded by Garry Monk on loan to Charlton Athletic.

Thomas Christiansen opted to offload the DR Congo international to Sint-Truiden, and he has not looked back since failing to prove his £1million transfer fee (Yorkshire Evening Post) at Elland Road.

Botaka instantly became a hit with Sint-Truiden fans in his first season. He was one of the first names on the team sheet, clocking up 37 appearances in all competitions. He scored five goals and created three more.

But this season, Botaka has enjoyed the campaign of his life. Given the captaincy, Botaka has had a hand in 12 goals in 29 league games for the Belgian side – scoring seven himself and creating five more.

He has pushed Sint-Truiden into seventh place in the Jupiler League table, just three points behind third-placed Standard Liege. Botaka has been integral to this season’s excellent effort.

Should Leeds regret not giving Botaka a proper chance? Perhaps his game was not suited to the English Championship. But offloaded after just 14 matches, he certainly deserved more of a go.