Credit: Imago

Daniel Lewis

Thu 9 April 2026 18:10, UK

Facundo Buonanotte’s time at Leeds United has not gone to plan so far – and it could yet get a whole lot worse.

The 21-year-old joined on loan from Brighton and Hove Albion in the winter transfer window, having turned down a switch to Elland Road last summer to instead temporarily join Chelsea.

However, Buonanotte has been restricted to just three appearances in a Leeds shirt, with his most recent outing coming against Birmingham City on 15 February.

Buonanotte is struggling to even make matchday squads, despite Leeds competing on two fronts as they still continue to chase silverware in the FA Cup.

And despite a whole host of injuries hitting Leeds ahead of facing Manchester United, it appears Daniel Farke is still not entirely convinced by the Argentinian.

Daniel Farke lays down marker for Facundo Buonanotte

Farke confirmed on Thursday that Leeds will be without Daniel James, Anton Stach and Joe Rodon for Monday’s trip to Old Trafford.

As well as being without James, Noah Okafor is also considered a doubt for the contest.

That leaves Farke’s options in that area limited, yet the German was not willing to confirm if Buonanotte will finally get a chance to truly impress.

Instead, Farke simply told reporters that the attacking midfielder needs to “deliver with consistency” on the training ground.

“In training, he was close to making it into the matchday squad, but many players were fit,” Farke added in his press conference.

Despite the absence of James and possible absence of Okafor, Farke fell short of confirming that Buonanotte will be in the squad, let alone start.

And if he is once again overlooked for selection, even with the injury issues, it is fair to say Buonanotte’s situation at Leeds will be at comical levels.

Buonanotte could find himself at overseas club next season

One can only wonder what would have happened if Buonanotte joined Leeds at the start of the season, instead of a failed move to Chelsea.

As it is, he has been restricted to just 474 minutes of football all season, with that taking all competitions into account.

And it may well be that the South American returns closer to home next season. Indeed, River Plate are looking to sign Buonanotte in the summer.

What Buonanotte has to his advantage is his still young age. It appears a move to a big club in River Plate could provide him with a springboard to kickstart his career.

It is a shame it has not worked out for Buonanotte at Elland Road, and it may well be that he does not even get the chance to play another minute before the campaign is out.