By support

13th Jul, 2016 | 6:00am

Leeds winger drops hint to Monk as he shares plans to put troubles behind him

By Will Butcher

DR Congo winger Jordan Botaka is desperate to prove to new manager Garry Monk and show what he is capable of next season.

The 23-year-old struggled for both form and game time last season, making just three starts in all competitions for the Yorkshire-based club.

The former Excelsior wide man revealed that he still has a lot to give to Leeds and is far from reaching his full potential.

“Mentally I am very strong. I want to prove a point,” he told the Leeds website, as quoted by HITC. “I want to prove I can make a difference at this level.

“The way we work with the new gaffer and with the new players it is going well and I’m happy, so I have a very positive feeling.”

Botaka, who put pen to paper at Elland Road last year in a deal reported to be worth around £1million, may find first-team opportunities easier to come by this season.

Leeds have just three recognised wide players on the books at the moment, with Northern Ireland’s Stuart Dallas and Sporting Lisbon loanee Hadi Sacko being the other two.

The former Anderlecht trainee is confident ahead of the new season, and despite a bout of tonsillitis in recent days, spoke of his fitness during pre-season.

He said: “I’m feeling stronger every day, soon I’ll be ready to play games.”

In other Leeds news, Monk has been given a boost in his pursuit of this Belgium under-19 international.