Marc Roca has become the first Leeds United player to break his silence on Victor Orta's departure from Elland Road.
Orta served as sporting director for six years at Leeds and played an instrumental role in helping assemble Marcelo Bielsa's Championship title-winning squad in 2020.
Leeds signed the likes of Mateusz Klich, Jack Harrison and Patrick Bamford under his watch, and also prised Raphinha from Stade Rennes following their promotion to the Premier League in 2020.
However, Orta's transfer activity has been questioned over the past two seasons with signings such as Junior Firpo, Daniel James, Brenden Aaronson and Georginio Rutter failing to make the grade.
The club announced Orta had left his role by mutual consent on Tuesday morning, and Roca led the tributes to his fellow Spanish compatriot on social media after the news broke.
The Spanish midfielder posted an image of him hugging Orta on his Instagram story, with the caption: "Thank you Victor. Always grateful."
Former Leeds midfielder Klich, who was one of Orta's earliest signings at the club, also posted an image of the pair together on Instagram.
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