Patrick Bamford was recalled to lead the line in the win over Birmingham, with Rutter impressing in a free role.

Farke told BBC Radio Leeds: "He fulfilled this role in a nearly perfect way - it was a brilliant performance."

"In recent weeks we have played him more in a flexible role, a bit deeper. He started quite often in a role up front but we have put him slightly deeper."

Farke said Rutter had worked on improving his game, making him a better fit for a playmaking role between the lines.

He said: "We got the feeling he has improved in many areas - first of all his fitness level, so that he can cover more ground, also with his tidiness with the ball and also his confidence level.

"At the beginning of the season sometimes there were tight areas and unnecessary loss of the ball, he's much tidier now and also in his positional discipline - when we ask him to play deeper he does more what we need.

"It helped him to have a tidy player like Patrick Bamford up front, who took away a bit of the attention of the centre-backs.

"You can have a plan but the most important thing is the player brings it on the pitch. He has fulfilled all my expectations and I am pleased with his performance."