Leeds United were never truly the winners of £4.5m Middlesbrough transfer: View | OneFootball

Leeds United must have thought they had struck gold when they struck a deal with Middlesbrough to bring Adam Forshaw to the club, but in reality they rarely got to see the midfielder perform to his very best.

A near two-year spell on the sidelines hampered the former Brentford man’s time at Elland Road, with his five years in Yorkshire seeing him managed just 83 league appearances for the Whites, with just 56 of those coming from the first whistle.

So calm and controlled when he has the ball at his feet, Forshaw’s ability in possession keeps attacks constantly flowing, and his vision can be devastating when trying to break down Championship defences.

But with minutes on the pitch becoming increasingly scarce as his time with United continued, it became more apparent that Boro had got the better end of the deal that saw him leave The Riverside in 2018.

Adam Forshaw injury record hampers Leeds United spell after Middlesbrough move

After emerging through the Everton academy, Forshaw initially came to prominence for a Brentford side who were starting to light up the third tier ten years ago, with his performances in the centre of the park helping the Bees in their rise up the leagues.

With 11 goals in 82 league appearances, the midfielder won promotion with the West London side before Middlesbrough came calling after a brief spell with Wigan Athletic.

Boro splashed out a reported £2 million to bring him to the club in the January of 2015, and that investment proved money well spent as their new signing went on to make over 100 appearances for the club; earning Premier League promotion along the way.

After that one-year stint in the top flight, Leeds made their move the following January, forking out a reported £4.5 million on the passing extraordinaire, as the Whites searched for a return to the Premier League after more than a decade away.

After a promising first full season in Yorkshire, Forshaw’s whole career was put in doubt after picking up a hip injury in a game against Charlton Athletic, with the start of two years of injury hell just beginning.

Speaking to the Athletic about the ordeal, Forshaw said: “I came off the bench and I could tell I wasn’t right. I was lying to myself if I thought it was nothing.

“I had a chance near the end of the game and someone dragged me back as I tried to shoot. I got the stabbing pain I had in the Swansea game but worse.

“The people I was going to see were scratching their heads. Rob [Price, Leeds United head of medicine] had to be as honest as he could with me and say, ‘We’re at a bit of a loss at this point.’

“He couldn’t pretend it was all OK or going in the right direction. It became experiment after experiment because that was all we could do.”

In the meantime, Leeds were securing a return to the Premier League under Marcelo Bielsa, but all Forshaw could do was watch the match at home, with the mystery over his hip injury showing no signs of being solved.

“It’s the worst time I’ve had in my career,” he said. “I was genuinely so pleased for everyone — the club, the lads, the fans — but for me it was the worst time.

“I couldn’t enjoy the promotion. That’s just the truth. The night when we were on the top floor (of Elland Road’s East Stand) and you saw us celebrating, the lads jumping up and down, I was sat crying to my wife. I couldn’t do anything else.”

Forshaw returns to Leeds United first-team after mammoth injury layoff

Eventually in January 2021, Forshaw started to show signs of making a comeback thanks to the work of many specialists on his condition, and got back to playing a part on the pitch in a League Cup match with Crewe Alexandra in the August of that year.

That marked 697 days without kicking a ball in anger for the midfielder, and the relief of being able to do what he loves the most once again would have been the most relieving days of his career, with Leeds sticking by him all the way through his recovery.

From barely being able to lift his leg to being back competing in the Premier League, the midfielder continued to perform at a high level once he made his return to the first-team affairs, although more setbacks continued to get in the way of a regular stint in the side.

Last season saw him make just 13 appearances for the club in all competitions as they succumbed to relegation from the top flight, and with it ending his five-year association with the club that stood by him during his darkest days as a footballer.

For all its corporate razzmatazz and financial figurations in the modern game, football is still a sport played by humans, with lives and emotions all of their own.

Leeds United may have dipped out with their investment on Forshaw, but in many ways they helped to keep his career alive, as they continued to probe for an answer when every door kept slamming in his face.

The transfer to bring him to the club may not have looked like a win on a footballing level, but some things are bigger than that, and the fact he can still take to the turf each week makes everyone the winner in this scenario.