'I left Leeds United for the Premier League - they're close to being a mainstay with one of the division's best managers'

Former Leeds United winger Robert Snodgrass believes the club are heading towards being established in the Premier League under one of the division’s top managers.

Leeds are yet to show any signs of second season struggles having finished 14th on their return to the Premier League in the previous campaign. The Whites are currently seventh, losing their first top-flight match at the sixth time of asking against Arsenal on Saturday.

Daniel Farke’s side haven’t had it easy either, facing three of the current top four - Arsenal being joined by Brighton away and Brentford at home, both draws. Another summer of impressive recruitment saw the squad improved in key areas while adding depth.

Snodgrass left a Championship Leeds for Premier League Norwich City in 2012, a time when even spending one season in the top-flight felt out of reach. The Scotsman now believes his former club are heading in the right direction to become established in the division.

“They've got the players in the squad, and can cause any team problems,” he told Snabbare. “The recruitment has been really good as well. Learning from the last time, they’re thinking ‘can we do a Brighton, a Brentford, and build on trying to be a mainstay in the Premier League?’

“They're heading in that direction. I think they will be in the top half this season. This is the season. I felt as if they were performing really well until the end of last season, where they were safe and they just maybe took their foot off the gas a little bit.

“They'll probably learn from that as well, every point is precious and it’s how you maximise turning draws into wins. They'll be on the ball, and as with a lot of other teams, will believe they can get in the top half, but I do believe this is Leeds’ year to get in there.”

Recruitment has been at the heart of Leeds’ success over the past season-and-a-quarter. Following promotion, they signed the likes of Anton Stach and Dominic Calvert-Lewin while improving in key areas last summer by securing James Trafford and Tarik Muharemovic.

But equally important has been the presence of Farke, who has answered questions over his tactical flexibility since a formation switch in November last year. Snodgrass now believes the German is among the Premier League’s elite managers and a perfect fit for Leeds.

“I think Daniel Farke has jumped into that top category of Premier League managers,” he added. “I feel as if every single time somebody's questioned him, he’s come up trumps, found a way and delivered.

“He’s always had a great connection with fans everywhere he's been. He builds that relationship with the players as well, you can see he's got a real calm but fiery presence when he needs to. I think he's a terrific manager. I think Leeds and him just fit, if I'm honest.

“On their day Leeds can beat anyone. They are formidable, especially with their home support. It’s incredible. I always say your team needs to mirror the fans, because that's the way they are as fans. They're right on the edge, they want you to be on the edge, they want you to keep pushing forward.

“Every single time I played for Leeds and got the ball I had to make something happen. I had to make people get up off their chairs because that was the whole thing. It's like, ‘let's get this crowd up because once they're up, they're some of the best supporters in the world’, really.”