Gaetano Berardi has proved his importance to Garry Monk’s Leeds United

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The Leeds United full-back has impressed on his return to the team.

Garry Monk may have one of the strongest starting line-ups in the Championship but, beyond the initial XI, Leeds United are not blessed with potentially promotion-earning talent.

Therefore, the former Swansea City boss will be counting his blessings that he has a player as versatile as Gaetano Berardi in reserve.

The Swiss is one of the few remaining members of the foreign legion which arrived early in the reign of Massimo Cellino but, thanks to a straight red on his debut against Accrington Stanley and a series of niggling injuries, his progress at Elland Road has been checked again and again.

However, after recovering from a troublesome hamstring strain suffered in the opening day defeat to QPR, Berardi is finally starting to demonstrate his importance under the Monk regime.

The 28-year-old, a natural right-back, has started each of Leeds’ last three league games on the left flank in place of the injured Charlie Taylor and, for the most part, has performed well, particularly in comfortable wins against Rotherham and Preston.

Furthermore, with the understated Luke Ayling excelling on the right of the four-man defence, Berardi has had to bide his time and his professional attitude will no doubt have impressed his manager.

“It is really very nice to be back in the team,” Berardi told the Yorkshire Post. “I was just waiting for my chance. Now I try and do my best each game, while waiting for Chaz [Taylor] to come back.

“I have played a lot of games at left-back so I can play there. Of course, maybe it is a little bit better on the other side, but [Ayling] needs to play because he is doing well.

“If the gaffer says to play [at left-back], then I play there. It is not a problem.”

While the goal-scoring of Chris Wood and the combative leadership of Pontus Jansson have spearheaded Leeds’ promotion push, Berardi’s versatility and reliability could prove just as essential in the weeks ahead.