Credit: Imago

Richie Mills

Fri 10 April 2026 17:40, UK

Lucas Perri appears to be in a philosophical mood following his FA Cup heroics for Leeds United against West Ham.

Perri has fallen out of favour at Leeds since a 4-3 defeat to Newcastle United in early January, with the big goalkeeper seemingly making one error too many for Daniel Farke.

Karl Darlow has taken his place in the Premier League since then, with summer signing Perri limited to FA Cup appearances in 2026.

The 28-year-old impressed in a penalty shootout win over Birmingham City in the FA Cup fourth round in February and he took his game to another level against West Ham on Sunday as Leeds reached the semi-finals of the competition for the first time since 1987.

Ahead of Leeds’ trip to bitter rivals Manchester United, in a battle between 15th and third in the Premier League, the Brazilian has taken to social media, with the 6ft 5in stopper clearly in a buoyant and determined frame of mind.

‘Fortune favours the brave’

Perri had his best game in a Leeds shirt in the FA Cup quarter-finals against West Ham at London Stadium. Not only did he make two vital penalty saves in the shootout, but he pulled off some crucial stops in normal time, too.

That display led to many Leeds fans calling for him to start in goal in the Premier League again, but Farke may resist the temptation to drop Welsh international Darlow to the bench.

This has been a difficult first season in the Premier League for Perri, with the former Lyon man having a number of underwhelming performances in between the sticks for Leeds.

But right now, he appears to be pumped and ready to go as Leeds prepare for a relegation battle and an FA Cup tilt.

On Thursday night, he took to Instagram to post a snippet of a verse titled: “Fortune favours the Brave”.

It reads, “Not the reckless. Not the loud. But the one who moves forward despite the fear, he who holds the line when it would be easier to run.

“He asks for no reward – only to do what must be done and to remain unbroken.” He then wrote “pray and work” with a praying hands emoji.

Even if Perri doesn’t start against Michael Carrick’s side, it appears he is in the right frame of mind as Leeds prepare for a crucial run-in.

History not on Leeds’ side at Manchester United

Leeds have a wretched record against Man Utd in the Premier League, especially at Old Trafford. To make matters worse, Leeds have a number of injury issues heading into Monday night’s contest.

While they held the Red Devils to a 1-1 draw at Elland Road in January, in what was Ruben Amorim’s last game in charge, they are a different animal under Carrick.

The former Man Utd star has a remarkable 70 per cent win rate since taking over in mid-January, with Carrick overseeing seven wins in 10 matches.

Moreover, Man Utd are unbeaten in their last 18 home league games against Leeds (11 wins and seven draws) since a 1-0 loss in February 1981 under Dave Sexton.

Furthermore, they have lost just one of their last 20 league games against Leeds (12 wins and seven draws). So Leeds have their work cut out.