Daniel Farke is challenging a Leeds United star to make a “solid” season become “historic”.

Leeds United boss Daniel Farke has challenged one of his star players to take a solid season and turn it into an historical one.

Dominic Calvert-Lewin has proven to be an astute bit of summer recruitment business for Leeds.

The striker was signed on a free transfer having departed Everton at the end of his contract.

There was significant risk for Leeds, even if a transfer fee wasn't involved, because they committed to a big wage and pinned a lot of hope on Calvert-Lewin's ability to stay fit and lead the line.

What's more, their other physical number 9, Lukas Nmecha, was another free transfer with an injury history as worrying as Calvert-Lewin's. But the club had confidence that their medical team could ensure Farke would get the best of both men.

The results, thus far, have been beyond expectations. Calvert-Lewin's performances have been as vital as his nine goals and one assist, from 20 top flight games. Nmecha has started fewer matches but chipped in with five goals, two of them winners.

To get 14 goals from free transfers in any season would be a huge bonus for any club, but for a newly-promoted club trying to wring every last bit of value out of the summer transfer market it is a superb result.

“We had to be smart and creative”

"It was part of our plans in the summer, and we had to be smart and creative also in the transfer market," said Farke.

"We've done this, not just with Dominic Calvert-Lewin, but also with Lukas. When a player is a free transfer and had some injury problems before, he's never a guarantee, so it could have also turned out the other way.

“But we were always believing in the skills of our strikers and their potential, and also the character, then also in what we're capable to do in terms of our fitness regime, how we train with them, how we look after them, to make sure that they are not just available, but also fit and on the top level, and the best potential shape to shine with proper performances."

Farke describes the club's creative thinking as necessary, due to their Profitability and Sustainability position, and admits that no one could have predicted the strikers would combine for so many goals by this stage of the season.

But a man who happily describes himself as greedy always wants more. And when it comes to Calvert-Lewin in particular he's only happy to go so far with the mid-season praise.

Farke's position is that praise is earned over long periods, so he's happy to give credit to Monday night's opposition manager David Moyes. Calvert-Lewin will have to keep doing what he's been doing, starting with the trip to his former club Everton, to hear more fulsome praise.

“I want to speak about a historical season”

"Dominic, like Lukas, like a few others, is on a really good path, but what I said about David Moyes also fits to this - I'm not willing to sing his praise after five, six good months," said the Leeds boss.

"I'm willing to sing his praise after a really good season. And Dominic is, for me, an outstanding striker. For me, one of the best English strikers around, and he doesn't have to prove it on Premier League level anymore.

“For that, he has way too many games and way too many goals, but he needs to deliver one top class season for Leeds United. For that, just six months are played, he's on the path.

“But if he stops right now scoring goals, if he stops right now delivering performances, then we'll just speak about a solid season. And I want to speak about a historical season, about a second-to-none season, about an outstanding season. And for that I'm not willing to sing right now the high praise about him.

“He has to keep going, like all the other players as well."