Leeds United received some much-needed positive news ahead of a crucial week for the team, as manager Daniel Farke provided an update on the latest team news.
The club is gearing up to host the Championship leaders at Elland Road on Friday in what is being billed as the most important game of the season in the second tier. Leicester, coming off a surprising home defeat to Middlesbrough, are aware that a win for Leeds would narrow their lead at the top of the table to just six points, especially with some tough matches on the horizon for the Foxes.
Meanwhile, Leeds is aiming for their ninth consecutive Championship victory as they seek to maintain their flawless start to 2024 and create some breathing space ahead of Ipswich Town and Southampton, who are tied in points and trailing by two points, respectively.
Leeds have a major boost with Jaidon Anthony returning to the squad after missing the Plymouth Argyle win due to personal reasons, and with the potential return of Patrick Bamford as well.
“Jaidon Anthony is back in training and available, which is great news,” Farke confirmed.
“Patrick’s progress has been positive over the past few days. It’s unlikely he’ll be ready for this game, but who knows? We still have 48 hours. While he hasn’t trained with the team yet, we have another session tomorrow and he could be a part of that. He may at least be considered for the squad on Friday evening. He’ll definitely be available next week.”
The injury news continues to improve for Leeds, with Karl Darlow returning to training with the squad, though not yet ready to be included in the squad for the Leicester match. Additionally, Pascal Struijk’s rehabilitation is progressing well after a lengthy absence.
“Karl is participating in significant parts of training and has been out for a few weeks, but he needs to regain match fitness before we bring him back,” Farke explained.
Regarding Struijk, he said, “It’s a positive development. He’s been cleared to increase his training load and hopefully will be ready to join team training. However, we need to gradually build him up over the next two weeks. I expect him to be available for the games after the international break.”
