Bailey moving into new realm!

After a slow start to the 2020-21 campaign, national winger Leon Bailey has struck a vein of form for his German club Bayer Leverkusen in his fourth full season with the team.

The 23-year-old Bailey had a highlight performance in Sunday's 4-1 win over Hoffenheim, scoring two goals, including a goal of the year candidate, which vaulted Leverkusen to the top of the Bundesliga standings with 25 points.

While it took him two months to finally score his first league goal of the season in November, he has managed to provide assists and score in the Europa League this season, helping the team to qualify for the next round.

So far Bailey's best statistical season in all competitions with Leverkusen, according to Transfermarkt.com, has been during the 2017-18 season where he scored 12 goals and registered six assists.

But the Phoenix Academy product has shown signs that he will eclipse those numbers this season as he has registered nine goals and six assists, despite arriving late for preseason due to COVID 19 restrictions. All nine goals have come in his last nine competitive games, including his Europa League exploits.

Bailey credited his blistering effort for the first of his two goals against Hoffenheim to coach Rob Maas, who worked with the team in finding different scoring situations from corners.

"The 'thanks' was for one of our trainers (Rob Maas), who shows us the different possibilities of how we can take corners. We practised it in training and I wanted to show my appreciation for the help in training and reward him in the game," Bailey said post-game.

The short corner routine allowed Bailey room on the right-hand side to unleash an excellent shot that curled into the far corner.

Bailey had a difficult season last year, riddled with injuries and limited due to suspensions. He scored seven goals and three assists and appeared in the German Cup final, the first major final of his career.

With his team currently leading the standings after 11 games, Bailey hopes that this will drive the team forward to continue their unbeaten league form.

"It's very nice to see our name at the top of the table. This is, for us, a big motivation. It's a great feeling not just for the players, but also for the fans who couldn't be here in the stadium to have such a great experience," he said.

Leverkusen play FC Koln today before hosting defending champions Bayern Munich on Friday. Additionally, they have been drawn to play Swiss club BSC Young Boys in the Round of 32 of the Europa League.