Noah Okafor celebrating with arms folded for Leeds United ahead of Elland Road

OkaforManh Tung

Noah Okafor gets surprise from Premier League ahead of Leeds vs Manchester United

Assistant Editor AUTHORITY Senior editor responsible for daily news flow, sub-hub management, and maintaining editorial standards across the site network. FOCUS Editorial oversight, newsroom workflow, and verified reporting. THE BRIEF Former Leeds United correspondent Mark has risen through the ranks at Breaking Media Limited to manage the network’s daily output. He works between the reporters and the experts to ensure the data and the news are applied correctly to every story.

Published on:

18 Oct 2026, 10:10 am

Noah Okafor has already cemented himself in Leeds United folklore.

Signed from AC Milan after promotion to the Premier League, it took the winger sometime to adjust at Elland Road.

Once he had done that, there was no stopping him.

Okafor needed an arm around him to thrive, and the likes of Daniel Farke and Dominic Calvert-Lewin provided that.

He was sensational in the final months of the season as Leeds survived with ease, with those two goals against Manchester United at Old Trafford the pick of the bunch.

And ahead of the two meeting again at Elland Road on Sunday, Okafor was given a little surprise by the Premier League.

What surprise was given to Noah Okafor?

Unsurprisingly, Okafor has been at the front of all media attention in the build up to this one.

After scoring twice last season at Old Trafford, he was loud and proud.

That has continued on social media this week, frequently looking ahead to the game and calling on Leeds fans to make it one to remember.

Graham Smyth, now working for Leeds, shared a glimpse of the matchday programme, particualrly a piece with Okafor.

It shows how when turning up to Elland Road for an interview with Premier League studios, he was surprised by his brothers via Zoom.

There was a really nice moment for the Okafors at Elland Road ahead of today's game. Worth picking up a programme to read my colleague's piece about it.#lufc pic.twitter.com/m5TallkrJx
— Graham Smyth (@GrahamSmyth) October 18, 2026

Okafor asked if it was live, sparking laughter from Isaiah and Elijah.

Will Noah Okafor start for Leeds?

There is no doubt about that.

Farke may have switched his tactics slightly this season, with Anton Stach playing further forward to allow Ao Tanaka to start in midfield, too.

That has taken a natural winger out of the XI, but not Okafor.

How Noah Okafor could match Leeds United feat not seen since Mark Viduka in 2002

The Swiss international will start on the left, combining specifically with the flying Gabriel Gudmundsson and linking with Calvert-Lewin.

Okafor played the ball down the line for Gudmundsson to then set up James Justin against Arsenal last week.

With Man United in crisis, on and off the pitch, he'll be looking to take advantage of Diogo Dalot, who was all over the place against Atletico Madrid in midweek.

Either way, it's been a great week for Okafor, who hopes it will only get better in a few hours time at Elland Road.

Gabriel Gudmundsson