When Leeds United fans think back to the great players of time gone by, few will cast their minds to the 2012 signing, El Hadji Diouf.

The Senegalese forward was certainly a controversial figure during his time playing in England but his ability on the pitch and the chaos that he could have brought may just have been an excellent wildcard for Sam Allardyce to have in his attempts to keep the Yorkshire outfit in the Premier League this season.

After all, Diouf's best spell in England arguably came under the experienced Englishman at Bolton Wanderers, so he clearly knew how to get the best out of him.

How did Diouf perform at Leeds United?

Leeds would sign the much-discussed forward back in 2012 after a successful trial period under Neil Warnock which was certainly a surprise move at the time, given that the English manager had infamously dubbed him worse than a 'sewer-rat' only 18 months earlier.

Following an incident with QPR's Jamie Mackie, who was stranded with a broken leg, Warnock said:

"I can't abide people like that, I don't know why he wants to take on the world. He's a nasty little person.

"For many years I have thought he was the gutter type - I was going to call him a sewer rat but that might be insulting to sewer rats. He is the lowest of the low."

However, he would make 40 appearances under Warnock at Leeds, notching a respectable six goals and nine assists, which emphasises the quality he had when he was focused on the game.

Diouf would finish his Leeds career with a solid return of seven goals and 11 assists in just 52 appearances, with his spell at Elland Road proving to be his last in England before he retired in 2016.

Could Leeds have used Diouf now?

This season, Leeds have been far too difficult to play through and have arguably rolled over in recent defeats against AFC Bournemouth, Liverpool and Crystal Palace, which certainly wouldn't have been tolerated by either Diouf or Allardyce.

Under the Englishman at Bolton, he would contribute 22 goals and 17 assists in 151 appearances, which was comfortably the most of any manager in his career, emphasising that the current Leeds boss was one of few who could get the very best out of him.

With Patrick Bamford continuing to misfire in the Leeds attack with recent big misses against Leicester, as well as from the penalty spot against Newcastle, but only inexperienced options such as Mateo Joseph and Sonny Perkins available as replacements, Allardyce surely could have used a figure such as Diouf to help inspire Leeds to survival in the final games of the Premier League campaign.