Town loanee Toumani Diagouraga knows his time at Leeds is up and that he is likely to be seeking new employers in the summer.

The French midfielder was signed in January last year by then-boss Steve Evans and his Elland Road contract is not due to expire until June 2018.

But current manager Garry Monk, who has cemented Leeds’ place in the play-offs during his first six months in charge, has made it clear the player does not fit into his future plans.

Diagouraga said: “He hasn’t said it but I don’t think it’s rocket science that after me not playing a first-team game since the first day of the season he won’t be standing in my way.

“I have another year after this summer so we’ll have to talk after my loan at Ipswich is up.

“I scored three goals in half a season under Steve Evans and when I go forward I’m not too bad. But I tend to sit a bit more so we’ll see what the manager wants me to do here.

“The main thing is that I’m with a club that wants me and I hope that will get me plenty of games for Ipswich.”

Diagouraga is teaming up again with former Brentford colleague Jonathan Douglas, the pair having been regulars in the Bees’ side that won promotion from League One in 2014 and a year later joined Town in the Championship play-offs.

He played more than 200 games for the West London side, many of them alongside Douglas in midfield, and he was surprised to learn that his former team-mate has been a target for many fed-up fans this term.

He added: “I played with Dougie for two or three years at Brentford so I know him quite well.

“I wasn’t aware of the criticism he has been receiving from fans. I think he’s a very good player and when I was with him at Brentford he was doing really well. I didn’t hear anything about him here.”

Paris-born Diagouraga, who launched his career in England at Watford, also lists Swindon, Rotherham, Hereford and Peterborough among his former clubs. But it was his time at Griffin Park that gave him most success.

He said: “It was a very good time and we were even close to the Premier League. When we went into the play-offs we had a really good team and it was a very successful season.

“It was a shame that the manager [Mark Warburton] had to go because that kind of dispersed everything. But I really enjoyed my time there.”

The Frenchman is confident he can help to transform Town’s fortunes, starting at Preston this weekend, along with fellow new recruits Steven Taylor, Jordan Spence and Kieffer Moore, with other signings also possible as the club awaits answers on their seven-figure bids for several targets.

He added: “As most people know the Championship is a league where all the teams can beat each other so I don’t see why Ipswich can’t improve.

“It is that bit more competitive this year because of the teams that came down from the Premier League. It has always been a tough league to get out of, anyway, and you know that every week it’s going to be a battle.

“I’m probably not similar to Steven because he is more of a captain figure but I don’t mind talking and helping to lift people around me. Hopefully, we will all be able to make a contribution and help us improve.”

Photo: Action Images

Mark added 17:20 - Jan 27 > I tend to sit a bit more so we'll see what the manager wants me to do here. He's clearly a defensive midfielder, and maybe he could do a better job than Skuse in that role as Cole hasn't been great this season and gives the ball away so often. My worry is Mick will play Diagouraga with Skuse regularly and they will both want to play the holding role. If we do that with a back five too it doesn't bode well for exciting football, but could be a good set up for some 0-0s away from home.

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KiwiBlue2 added 20:55 - Jan 27 I just hope that he offers more than "different class', 'proper bloke' Dougie
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SamWhiteUK added 11:48 - Jan 28 I hope he's not another Bullard - play for a contract and then sit back and take the cash once/if he earns a contract. However, I think we've seen another case recently that McCarty wouldn't stand for that kind of sh*t
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