Souleymane Doukara suggests what hasn’t changed at Leeds over last two years

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Leeds United are on course to comfortably finish in their highest position in the Championship since Souleymane Doukara’s arrival.

Souleymane Doukara

Souleymane Doukara has told Sky Sports that while Garry Monk’s arrival has improved Leeds’ fortunes on the pitch, the atmosphere amongst the players has always been good since his move to Elland Road.

The Whites are well on their way to comfortably securing their highest finish in the Championship since Simon Grayson led his side to seventh in the 2010/11 campaign.

In Doukara’s two full seasons at Leeds, the club have finished in the bottom half of the table and have only briefly threatened to move onto the very periphery of the play-off race in that time.

However, they are now fifth in the table and flirted with putting pressure on those battling for the automatic-promotion spots. But while things have been a lot brighter on the pitch, Doukara has insisted that the mood amongst the squad has never been something that has been a problem.

“He’s a good manager and we’re working hard with him every day,” he told Sky Sports. “He’s doing well, everyone’s listening to him and we’ll continue like that.

“He’s managed in the Premier League and maybe has more experience than [previous Leeds] managers.

“There’s been [a good atmosphere] for the last two years but we didn’t get the results. Now everybody is together and we’re happy with that.”

Leeds United manager Garry Monk

Given the team’s struggles in the time that Doukara has been with the club, it is a surprise that the forward has not deemed the atmosphere amongst the team to be toxic at times.

But that arguably highlights how good a job Monk has done this season, as he has had to work with a squad who were seemingly just as positive for the previous coaches who then failed to lead them into the promotion race.

But he has managed to get them to take that next step, so it is hardly a surprise that Doukara appears particularly optimistic about the current crop.