Is Ezgjan Alioski facing his biggest test yet for Thomas Christiansen’s Leeds United?

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Leeds United cruised past Burton Albion in the Championship on Saturday – and Ezgjan Alioski was left on the bench.

Even the most optimistic Leeds United fan would struggle to claim that they expected such a superb start to the season. After missing out on promotion by a hair’s breadth last season, a new manager, new owner, new director of football and a raft of new players meant Leeds looked set for another season of transition.

Instead, however, Thomas Christiansen’s side are unbeaten after six games and sit second in the table while playing some of the most attractive attacking football in the division.

Saturday’s 5-0 thrashing of Burton Albion was Leeds’ biggest win since 2004 – and it’s worth mentioning that such a creative and efficient attacking performance came without Ezgjan Alioski, the dynamic winger left on the bench.

The Macedonian international, a left-field signing from Swiss side FC Lugano last season, has not taken long to demonstrate the kind of form that saw him produce 17 goals and 14 assists in a dazzling 2016/17 campaign in his burgeoning Leeds career.

Rotation a real possibility

However, after a busy schedule during the international break, Macedonia travelled to Israel before taking on Albania at home, Alioski was dropped to the bench by Christiansen.

And it’s a testament to the strength in depth enjoyed by Leeds’ new-look side that there is no guarantee that the impressive Alioski will simply walk back into the starting XI ahead of Birmingham City’s trip to Elland Road on Tuesday evening.

Kemar Roofe (below) continued his superb start to the season with a classy long-range finish against Burton, his fifth in seven games this season, while Pablo Hernandez got back to his best with a performance full of creativity and class.

Samu Saiz, meanwhile, is simply undroppable and looks like the best player in the Championship at the moment.

Therefore, Christiansen can rest easy knowing that he is able to rotate his side and expect the same positive performance levels. Alioski, despite his excellent start, may have a challenge getting back into the first-choice XI.