Plymouth Argyle: Darko Gyabi is bettered by only one teammate in key attacking department | OneFootball

Only Adam Randell has created more chances for Wayne Rooney's Grecians than the Leeds loanee.

Darko Gyabi is doing all the right things to make a name for himself in the English game. On his second inter-division loan spell from Leeds United, the 20-year-old has established himself in Wayne Rooney's Plymouth Argyle side.

Born in South-East London, Gyabi is an extremely talented do-it-all midfielder who learned his trade with the academies of both Millwall and Manchester City before signing for the West Yorkshire club for £5m in 2022.

The rapid emergence of Archie Gray in the last campaign meant that similarly positioned Gyabi had little room to shine, appearing to be in the wrong place at the wrong time when it came to having his own breakthrough season after Leeds' relegation.

Having found temporary asylum at Home Park, it appears 2024/25 may be the year that people stop and take note, as the England U20 international's performances have been exceptional.

With on-field maturity beyond his years, especially regarding creativity and decision-making in the middle of the park, Gyabi is one of the main reasons for the Green Army's good form, having started in every league win so far and starting to rank highly when it comes to chance creation.

Combine the above statistics that focus on chance creation, with the fact that he also appears fourth among successful tackles (14), Gyabi possesses the rare but highly desired trait of being a true box-to-box midfielder.

According to FBRef, the total key passes currently place him within the top 30 league-wide, and 11th among players who exclusively play in midfield positions. Among players under 21, Gyabi is fourth in this statistic, behind Jobe Bellingham, Wilfried Gnonto and Luca Koleosho - three of the most talented young players in the Championship.

Creativity has always been a part of Gyabi's game. During his first loan spell in Devon last season, the midfielder produced eight key passes in 752 minutes (one every 94 minutes). He has improved, however, as this figure has risen to one every 59 minutes so far this campaign.

Aside from Gyabi's impressive efforts, a deserved mention for regular midfield partner Adam Randell is in order. The 24-year-old is relishing being the 'elder statesman' of the midfield (ridiculous given he's only 24 himself), with 14 key passes in eight games, at least two more than all of his Pilgrim colleagues. Right now, he's the only player in the Plymouth squad that's outshining Gyabi in the chance creation department.

The pair, though, share an assist each at this point in the season. Gyabi's came in the 3-1 win over Luton Town, when he teed up the first of Ibrahim Cissoko's goals.

Darko Gyabi is trusted by Wayne Rooney

In terms of minutes played, Gyabi currently sits third among English under-21s, behind only Sunderland duo Chris Rigg and Bellingham.

This kind of statistic emphasises the quiet, yet emphatic, approval of Rooney, who is famously well versed in the skillset required of an all-rounder.

Following Gyabi's return in July, Rooney spoke to Plymouth Argyle in an internal interview regarding his excitement at signing Gyabi, having heard glowing reports from his new staff.

Three months on, Rooney's jubilation has all but been vindicated.