Leeds United were heavily linked with a move for Gonzalo Plata over the course of the summer, and according to recent reports, Victor Orta could once again be tempted to launch a move for the 22-year-old in the January transfer window.

Indeed, according to Newcastle World's Mark Carruthers, the Whites viewed the Real Valladolid winger as a direct replacement for Raphinha this summer, and are believed to have retained their interest in the forward heading into the winter market.

And, considering the similar traits the Ecuadorean and the Brazilian share, it is not difficult to see why Leeds had identified the winger as a potential heir to the now-Barcelona star's throne on the right flank at Elland Road.

Indeed, over Plata's 30 LaLiga 2 appearances last season, the £13m-rated talent was in devastating attacking form, hitting the back of the net on five occasions, registering five assists and creating five big chances for his teammates, as well as taking an average of 1.5 shots, making 1.4 key passes and completing 2.3 dribbles - at a success rate of 57% - per game.

These returns saw the 22-year-old "trickster" - in the words of Adrian Blanco - average an extremely impressive SofaScore match rating of 6.96, playing a key role in Valladolid securing automatic promotion to the top flight of Spanish football.

In comparison, over Raphinha's 35 Premier League appearances last time out, the £51.5m-rated winger was in similarly eye-catching attacking form, bagging 11 goals, providing three assists and creating 10 big chances, in addition to taking an average of 2.5 shots, making 1.9 key passes and completing 1.8 dribbles - at a success rate of 42% - per game.

These returns saw the Brazil international average an equally impressive SofaScore match rating of 6.97, playing a crucial role in the Whites' retaining their top-flight status on the final day of the 2021/22 campaign.

Furthermore, with Ben Jacobs also describing Plata as a player who is "fast, direct and can pick a pass", with this profile also easily being attributed to Raphinha, the similarities between the duo's style continue to mount.

As such, should Plata continue to impress at the Qatar World Cup this winter - having already played a key role in Ecuador's opening day 2-0 victory over the hosts -  it would indeed appear wise for Orta to rekindle his interest in the Valladolid starlet come January, as the 31-cap star quite clearly possesses the potential to become the Whites' next Raphinha-esque talent on the wing.