Summerville, 22, is undoubtedly Daniel Farke’s best player as he has made 19 Championship appearances this season, scoring 10 goals and dishing out another six.

Jones said: “He’s having a great season and at this rate, I think he’d be a contender for player of the season, not just at Leeds, but across the Championship.

“So there’s no way that Leeds want to lose him, especially in this sort of form, but unfortunately, this is also the sort of form that alerts clubs in other leagues, higher leagues, who wonder whether he could actually spark the difference for them too.”

Spearhead

The Whites won’t want to lose him, of course, but there comes a point at which an offer is too good to turn down for a Championship team.

With Willy Gnonto, Leeds United shown in the summer that they are prepared to stand their ground against former Premier League rivals, at least when it was within their ability to do so. It remains to be seen, though, if a suitor is prepared to make a sizable enough payment.

Even if there is interest in Summerville, the club and the manager will be protected from losing a key player in the race for promotion provided he personally maintains his position from the summer and rejects offers to go.

However, Farke’s form has declined in the last few games, and with the top two teams in the league essentially holding steady at the top of the table, it is beginning to seem more likely that he will earn a play-off position and all the associated lotteries.

Summerville has undoubtedly done enough this season to warrant a promotion from the second division at the end of the campaign, even if the Whites are unable to return to the top division.

He has remained at Elland Road once, and it appears likely that he will do so once more the next month, helping the cause of promotion as much as he can. However, it will be difficult to persuade him to stay for an encore if the job is not completed.