Diego Llorente said his Leeds United goodbyes in January. The centre-back posted a message of gratitude on social media to Leeds and its supporters once his loan move to Roma was confirmed on transfer deadline day.
It was only a deal until the end of the season, but the option for Roma to push through a permanent switch seemed to make it look unlikely that he would be returning to West Yorkshire in the summer. It was probably the move he needed, too, having watched most of Leeds' first half of the season from the bench.
Llorente looked jaded and short of confidence in the white of Leeds, but it seems things went differently for him in the Italian capital under Jose Mourinho, a man he worked under at Real Madrid. The 29-year-old had to wait to earn his chance in the side, but he went on to make 12 appearances for Roma and featured in the Europa League final against Sevilla in Budapest.
