After a long layoff, Leeds United may be able to welcome back Junior Firpo to the Championship very soon.
Injuries during the summer months made it difficult for Daniel Farke to build his team for the start of the season, but transfers have greatly benefited him.
Both full-back positions needed to be improved in some way, either in depth or in quality, and it appears that the manager’s setup relies significantly on both positions.
When is Junior Firpo coming back?
Farke’s pre-Hull press conference announced that Junior Firpo will miss this week’s games against the Tigers and Watford due to individual training.
He did, however, say that the club “hope” that the left-back will be back in the team as soon as possible, with Southampton visiting Leeds in six days.
Firpo scored the sole goal in the previous encounter against Southampton, when both teams were in the Premier League and Javi Gracia was in charge.
Farke receives a significant boost?
At the present, Sam Byram and Jamie Shackleton are covering the position so well that there isn’t much pressure on Firpo to catch up.
One thing that has become evident from Leeds’ troubles against deep-lying teams is that the full-backs need to do more in possession.
That’s where Leeds’ £13 million signing from Barcelona should come in handy, providing help to Willy Gnonto and co on the left channel so he doesn’t face a defensive overload every time he goes towards the box.
As much as fans were right to be concerned whenever Firpo was expected to defend in the Premier League, the decline in standards today, along with Leeds’ increased dominance in possession, is a good thing for him.
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