Neil Warnock gives message to Joe Rodon to pass onto his ‘favourite’ Leeds player
Neil Warnock has sent a message to Joe Rodon after Leeds’ 1-0 win over Middlesbrough.
The Whites retook their place at the summit of the Championship as Sheffield United and Burnley dropped points on 8 April.
Dan James’ early strike was the difference between the sides in a nervy encounter at the Riverside Stadium that saw two Leeds goals wrongly ruled out for offside.
The Elland Road outfit are now in pole position to return the Premier League for the first time since the 2022-23 campaign.
Warnock names Dan James as his favourite Leeds player
Dan James has been a revelation for Leeds this season, constantly popping up with crucial goals when they have needed them most.
He is a huge reason for the Whites’ promising position in the automatic promotion race and that proved to be the case again on this occasion.
Warnock could not hold back in his praise of James and he even passed the message on to Rodon that his Welsh compatriot was his favourite player.
Speaking on Sky Sports (8 April, 22:03 pm), Warnock told Rodon: “Just tell Dan James that he is not allowed to be injured between now and the end of the season, alright.”
He later admitted that the 27-year-old is his “favourite player.”
Leeds need James to step up in Championship run-in
James’ winner on Teeside was his 12th strike of the campaign and his 21st contribution in the second tier this season, he has been absolutely vital for the Whites in their promotion push.
Farke’s side have endured a difficult month but are now back on track and James will be crucial in maintaining that status.
| Stats (Championship) | James |
| Matches | 35 |
| Goals | 12 |
| Assists | 9 |
| Chances created | 44 |
The Welsh wizard had gone four matches without a contribution but scored a spectacular equaliser against Luton on Saturday (5 April) and followed that up with another on this occasion.
Farke needs him to be on top form as the season grinds to a conclusion because he could fire the Peacocks to the top-flight almost singlehandedly.
The Whites need to avoid the playoffs as they have a terrible record in them and missing out on automatic promotion would invoke a similar heartbreak to what Leeds suffered last season.
If they to do so, they need James to be fit and firing as he is the biggest difference maker in the squad at Elland Road.