Leeds United are currently top of the Championship table after their 2-0 win over Millwall at Elland Road last Sunday before the international break.
The Whites are battling to secure automatic promotion back to the Premier League at the first time of asking, and the form of their attackers has been crucial to their success so far.
Crysencio Summerville, Georginio Rutter, Patrick Bamford, Joel Piroe, Daniel James, and Wilfried Gnonto have all scored at least six league goals for the club this season.
Gnonto, after a difficult start to the campaign, has emerged as a huge goalscoring threat down the right flank for Leeds in 2024, and Daniel Farke may already have a homegrown replica of the Italian whiz in the form of exciting academy talent Connor Douglas.
Wilfried Gnonto's form this season
The former Inter prospect handed in a transfer request last summer after the Whites had rejected four offers from Premier League side Everton – the fourth of which was reportedly worth £25m.
Sky Sports claimed that the forward was unhappy at being denied the chance to return to the top-flight, which is why he requested a transfer from Elland Road, but Leeds were eventually able to keep hold of the talented gem.
Farke and the club may have wondered if they made the right call when the attacker only produced one goal and one assist in 21 appearances and six starts in the Championship during the first half of the season.
Since the start of February, Gnonto has started eight of the club's nine league games and contributed with an eye-catching six goals and one assist in those eight starts, along with one goal in two FA Cup matches during that period.
This means that the right-footed right winger has produced a goal every 1.57 games on average since the start of last month, which has taken his tally to eight goals in 35 games in all competitions this season.
Why Connor Douglas could be Wilfried Gnonto 2.0
Farke could unearth his next version of the Italian dynamo in U21s star Connor Douglas, who is also a goalscoring winger with the quality to find the back of the net on a regular basis.
The 18-year-old gem, who does not turn 19 until October, has caught the eye with his ability in the final third at both U18 and U21 level over the last two seasons.
Appearances
15
2
Goals
6
2
Assists
3
0
As you can see in the table above, Douglas was directly involved in nine goals in 15 outings in the U18 Premier League, and then earned himself a chance to impress for the U21s with two goals in two matches.
The exciting teenage marksman has been promoted to the U21s on a permanent basis this season and is on two goals in eight Premier League 2 outings so far.
This means that the Leeds whiz has plundered ten goals and three assists in 25 league games for the academy, at U18 and U21 level combined, since the start of last season – compared to Gnonto's eight strikes in 35 outings for the Whites this term.
Douglas, who predominantly plays down the right wing, is still in the early stages of his U21s career and there is no immediate rush for him to emerge as a first-team option.
If he can continue to score and assist goals at an impressive rate for the academy, though, then Farke may look to bring him through as his next goalscoring right winger, like Gnonto.