The word talisman might not do him justice. It is rather telling that Leeds United have won 63% of their games when Daniel James has been in the side this season. Interestingly, without him, that figure has dropped to 43%.

What is it about the Wales international when he is in this kind of form? Well, Cameron Toshack, who worked closely with James at Leeds and during the winger's time at Swansea's academy, said this is a lightning quick player who possesses a 'superpower' - speed.

"There were moments you could say that when he was on form, he was unstoppable," the former Whites assistant told Leeds Live. "I don't use that phrase lightly."

READ MORE: 'I can't do anything' - Daniel Farke throws down the gauntlet to £10m Leeds United star

READ MORE: Leeds United receive formal apology after widely condemned error punished them

A number of Championship defenders can attest to that and James has made been some crucial contributions in recent weeks: putting Leeds back in front against Middlesbrough; setting up Mateo Joseph's injury-time equaliser at Preston and Leeds' leveller and winner at former club Swansea; and opening the scoring versus Oxford United and Plymouth Argyle. James has even contributed from the bench and, rather than sulk after being rotated, the winger scored just 12 minutes after coming on against Luton Town last month.

The burden is shared around in this side - James, Wilfried Gnonto, Brenden Aaronson, Largie Ramazani, Manor Solomon, Mateo Joseph and Joel Piroe have been directly involved in 45 Championship goals combined this season - but you simply can't overstate James' influence. Toshack said if you 'roll the dice and give him the ball five or six times, he knows he's going to cause impact in a positive manner at some point'.

"With a lot of players, like Dan, who have that speed, it's a matter of how much opportunity they get in a given game to raise their confidence and the word consistency comes in," the former Swansea Under-23s boss explained. "That's the challenge for every player at any level but, particularly, with players that have that asset. It's the reliability of getting the ball and getting them into good positions and having watched a number of Leeds games recently, Dan is playing on a crest of a wave.

"Remember the goal he scored against Middlesbrough? He had a chance that was probably easier a couple of minutes beforehand and the ball came to him again. Players maybe would have shied away, but he's not one of those. He's confident but in a constructive, positive way."

Those qualities help explain why senior figures at Leeds assured the winger they would see him soon after a deadline day move from Swansea collapsed and left sporting director Victor Orta in tears in 2019. James would finally arrive two-and-a-half years later following a spell at Manchester United.

However, it has been far from plain sailing since then. Marcelo Bielsa, a huge fan, was sacked midway through James' first season. Successor Jesse Marsch eventually loaned the £25m man out to Fulham. By the time James returned to Leeds, the Whites had been relegated following a chaotic campaign, which ended with Sam Allardyce in charge.

Daniel Farke's appointment, though, proved a game-changer for James. Just as Farke encountered a senior international who was still open to developing and improving, and who was willing to put a shift in, James found someone who believed in him.

Fitness permitting, by the end of the season, James will have played more games for Farke than any other manager in his career and the 27-year-old has made the right-wing position his own under the Leeds boss - running down the line, isolating defenders one v one and getting crosses into the box. It may seem a strange statement to make about a player who joined the club in 2021, but James now looks at home at Elland Road.

"He is at home," Toshack added. "He feels at home and valued at Leeds United with the surroundings and the people around. He's settled up there. You can see that in his football now with the way that he plays.

"If a player feels at home, he is more likely to deliver the stats for you. It's not just, 'I've paid a lot of money and he should deliver.' If he doesn't feel at home, guess what? That doesn't happen."