Credit: Manh Tung, Breaking Media

Aheed Abrar

Sun 8 March 2026 13:06, UK

Daniel Farke has surely left Sean Longstaff scratching his head at Leeds United.

The midfielder was a key player for the German manager in the opening few weeks of the season, but has been a bit-part player since returning from his calf injury.

In the last two Premier League games, the former Newcastle United star has failed to come off the bench, which will undoubtedly lead to speculation around his future come the end of the campaign.

Leeds face Norwich City in the FA Cup fifth round on Sunday, 8 March, which could potentially be a decisive moment for the 28-year-old at Elland Road.

Daniel Farke will give Sean Longstaff food for thought in Leeds United vs Norwich City

Longstaff started in Leeds’ penalty shootout win against Birmingham City at St Andrew’s in the previous round of the FA Cup.

While Farke clearly does have the midfielder in his plans, it looks like he isn’t trusted to feature in the big games that are consequential in the Premier League.

The 28-year-old has started 10 games in the English top flight for the Whites, scoring one goal, providing two assists, creating six big chances and completing 85 per cent of his passes, as per Sofascore.

Longstaff will surely have questions for Farke about his limited game time, with the ex-Newcastle ace’s defensive contributions impressive, averaging 2.2 tackles, 2.2 ball recoveries and 0.6 clearances per game.

While the midfielder may lack a bit of technical ability, with just a 17 per cent dribbling success rate, his tenacity is clearly evident as he wins 3.7 duels per game.

Despite Longstaff’s limited appearances in the Premier League, he has made the Team of the Week once and has an average Sofascore rating of 6.85, yet his future at the West Yorkshire outfit may be under the scanner.

Sean Longstaff set for Elland Road make-or-break vs Norwich City

Longstaff will surely be expected to start against Norwich, but if he doesn’t, that will undoubtedly be concerning for him.

If given the opportunity by Farke, the midfielder must show against the Canaries that he deserves to start over the likes of Ilia Gruev and Brenden Aaronson in the middle of the park.

The Bulgaria international and the USMNT star have been in poor form, and the German manager should look to make changes to his team to get back to winning ways in the Premier League.

Aaronson’s Sofascore graphic above highlights that he may need to be dropped, and Longstaff will surely be waiting in the wings to grab his chance.