Statistics: Leandro Paredes tops the Europa League passing charts

Leandro Paredes has come on leaps and bounds this season - and the Europa League has played a big role in that.

Since returning to the club after his successful loan spell at Empoli last season, the midfielder has grown into a more and more important player under coach Luciano Spalletti.

The Europa League has been a particular proving ground for the Argentine - as Spalletti has selected him to start every game so far as he sees what he can do in a play-making role for the side.

And Paredes certainly seems to have thrived with the responsibility - impressing against European opposition and earning more Serie A opportunities as a result (he has started four of the club's last seven league games).

The statistics bear this out - Paredes has attempted and completed more passes than any other player in the European competition after four games, and has a completion percentage of over 90%.

The midfielder certainly seems to acknowledge that he is growing with every game he gets to play in the Giallorossi shirt.

"The more you play, the more confidence you gain and things get better," he said after scoring against Palermo last month.

"My team-mates and the coach show lots of faith in me and I'm becoming more and more calm.”

See some of the highlights of Paredes' season so far in the video below.