Leeds United's Georginio Rutter confident and excited about turning PlayStation football into reality

When they close their eyes in bed at night, players are told to imagine what the next day's game will be like, to picture the success they hope to have, then try to bring it to life on matchday.

At just 20 years-old, Georginio Rutter is more modern again – far too modern for the middle-aged men listening to his first press conference as Leeds United's club record signing who look blankly when he tells them he will sing a song by Belgian rapper Stromae when he has his Leeds initiation.

"You don't know Stromae?" he says in English, every bit as bemused as the faces looking back at him, and perhaps just a little outraged.

So Rutter has not visualised playing up front with his new team-mate Rodrigo, he has done it on the PlayStation.

"He's particularly fast on PlayStation," explains Rutter. "I'd play up front with him.

"Four-four-two, me and Rodrigo, but I don't know the rest of the team."

The first part of his answer comes through an interpreter, the second one of many occasions he breaks into English. In so many ways, it is a very encouraging performance by a youngster in a foreign land.

When he comes into the room later, Rutter’s new coach, Jesse Marsch, explains the striker has "a light way of enjoying football. I think those qualities will help him enjoy what it is in England."

And he certainly seems determined to enjoy, not endure it.

Rutter is the most expensive player the 103-year-old club have ever bought, a centre-forward joining a Leeds team who too often in the last 18 months have been light in that position. There is a lot of expectation on his shoulders but you would never guess it from his demeanour.

Rutter is all smiles and tattoos, exuding confidence, not fear, ahead of a likely debut at home to Brentford on Sunday.

"It's not something that puts any pressure on me at all, I concentrate on playing my football and doing the things I know I can do," he says of a price tag which could rise to £35m. "We'll see how things go.

"Transfers are between clubs, the clubs negotiate, I just get on with my football."

Not that the fee is completely irrelevant to him.

"I want to repay the confidence the club have shown in me," he stresses. "The bottom line is just giving absolutely everything I can, giving the best of myself consistently throughout the time I'm here."

He may only have officially been a Leeds player a week, but Rutter has crammed in plenty of homework.

He does not wait for the translation before nodding when asked if he sees his former Lorient, current French under-21 and now Leeds team-mate and sherpa Illan Meslier as a "big brother". On Wednesday he was at Elland Road to watch Leeds beat Cardiff City in the FA Cup and be introduced to the crowd at half-time.

"I already have my song in the stadium," he breaks into English again to say, better conveying his wonderment. Not that he can do it in French.

"I haven't got the words to describe the atmosphere, it was great,” he says.

"It's been a dream of mine to play at a big club in the Premier League, it's a great league. Illan told me what a great club it is on the inside as well.

"I know Leeds is a massive club with a lot of history.

"With the quality of players from what I've seen up close, we deserve to be higher in the league and hopefully we will climb that table in the next few months."

He cannot wait to start playing with Rodrigo and Patrick Bamford – both of whom scored on Wednesday (Bamford twice) – for real. Marsch says playing all three together is an option.

"The other night I could see how much the fans appreciate both of them," says Rutter.

"I like playing right up front. All my career I've played as a lone striker but I'm also capable of playing down the sides as well – either side."

The highlight of the night was an airborne, scissor-kick volley from left-sided attacker Willy Gnonto.

Asked if he can score goals like that, the smile returns.

"I think I can," he says, before once more dropping his shoulder to the translator and reverting to English. "It's an amazing goal. I think he will do this 10 times and miss, and one time he will make a goal!"

The biggest concern over Rutter must be that with Germany's Bundesliga on such a long World Cup break, he has not played since November 12. He does not seem particularly vexed, even though he has already noticed the trademark Premier League speed in training.

"Like a lot of clubs we went to Portugal to train and have a warm-weather break so I was keeping fit then and training regularly," he explains.

"When news of a potential deal with Leeds came in no one wanted to risk anything so I didn't play any of the friendly games down there but I continued to train.

"Since then there has been a bit of a period where I wasn't training as we waited for the deal to finally go through so being totally honest I'm not quite at 100 per cent but I soon will be."