Daniel Farke to make unpopular Ethan Ampadu decision at Leeds United
Daniel Farke may make an unpopular decision to keep club captain Ethan Ampadu on the sidelines as he is on the brink of return for Leeds United.
The 24-year-old has missed the last eight games for his side due to suffering from a knee injury but even with him close to being available for the Whites again, the boss may well keep him fighting for his place in the squad (Nancy Froston, 22 November).
Ao Tanaka has stepped into the side to cover for the injured skipper and has impressed the crowds at Elland Road building an excellent midfield relationship with Joe Rothwell, which will give Farke a headache when it comes to selecting his best starting line-up.
Has Tanaka done enough to replace Ampadu at Leeds United?
When his captain is ready for selection again, Farke will have a big decision on his hands choosing whether to stick with his current line-up or bring fan-favourite Ampadu back into the midfield at Elland Road.
While the 26-year-old has impressed since coming into the side, as the Whites go forward on their hunt for promotion this season, it will be key for them to use the experienced leaders they have in their squad.
That being said, the Leeds boss may find it very hard to warrant dropping the Japan international from his midfield because of the way he has allowed his side to play some good attacking football.
Many Leeds fans will no doubt be fans of both players but if Farke is reluctant to make changes when he has the option to in his squad, not bringing Ampadu back into the side may well be a decision that needs something big from his replacement to justify it.
As long as Farke continues to start Tanaka, bright things will likely lie ahead for both parties…it could be a decision that gets Leeds promoted.
In other Leeds news, this academy star could prove to be a successor for Crysencio Summerville.