One thing Leeds United did a great job of last season was tying down their star players to new contracts.

Kalvin Phillips, Stuart Dallas, Liam Cooper and Pablo Hernandez all signed new deals last year, and that has left United with very few contract worries.

However, there is one first-teamer whose contract is up at the end of this season, and that man is Ezgjan Alioski.

The Macedonian is a cult hero at Elland Road, and the fans adore his insane off-field antics, but despite this, it may be time for the Whites to say goodbye to Gjanni.

Alioski’s role has been reduced for the past year and a half, with Stuart Dallas and Jack Harrison taking the starting roles at both left-back and left-midfield, limiting the 28-year-old to just 21 league starts last season.

With new boy Raphinha and the developing Ian Poveda both able to play down the left, Alioski may soon find himself way down the pecking order there too, while the progression of Leif Davis may also see him struggle to get much game time at left-back.

Alioski deserves better than to rot on the bench, while Leeds don’t need to be paying a player who is only going to play sporadically.

The 28-year-old has been a fantastic servant for Leeds appearing 137 times for the club and scoring 20 goals, but promotion to the Premier League has seen the landscape change at Elland Road. In this evolving squad, Alioski may not have a place any longer.

It’s not nice to say it, and it’s a brutal decision to make on a player that has served the club so well, but it may be time for the Yorkshire outfit to say goodbye to Alioski, be that in January or when his contract is up at the end of the campaign.