Dan James hit by crushing Leeds injury blow, surgery could extend two-month absence
Daniel Farke has confirmed that Leeds United winger Dan James will be out of action for at least two months, and it could get a lot worse.
James was forced off at half-time during Leeds’ 3-2 defeat to Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium on Saturday afternoon.
The Welsh international felt some pain in his hamstring and was replaced by Dominic Calvert-Lewin with Farke’s side trailing 2-0 at the break.
Calvert-Lewin halved the deficit just four minutes after his introduction, before Lukas Nmecha levelled the scores, but Phil Foden broke Leeds hearts with a 91st-minute winner for Man City.
Daniel Farke reveals expected length of Dan James’ absence
James has already struggled with injury issues this season, missing several games for Leeds with an ankle injury around the end of September.
The 28-year-old has featured 10 times in the Premier League for Farke’s side in 2025-26, but is now set for another spell on the sidelines.
Leeds face Chelsea on Wednesday evening, and it was already expected that James would be absent for the visit of Enzo Maresca’s side, after his early withdrawal against Man City.
Now the true extent of the winger’s issues has been revealed, and in the best-case scenario, he will be out of action for eight weeks.
Speaking in his pre-match press conference ahead of the Chelsea game, Farke said: “Sadly, Daniel James’ hamstring tendon is injured. How long he is out depends on whether he needs surgery.
“It looks like he can do conservative way, but he will probably miss the next eight weeks at least, and it could be worse with surgery.”
Daniel Farke already has plan to cope without Dan James
With James unable to continue at half-time against Man City, Farke made a tactical switch, straying away from his preferred 4-3-3 formation and opting for a 5-3-2 instead.
Calvert-Lewin and Nmecha played alongside one another in a front two, and the change had the desired effect, with both strikers finding the back of the net.
With a left and right-wing back, there is no need for wingers in the five at the back system, which could help Leeds cope without the option of James.
Maresca is unsure which formation Farke will utilise on Wednesday evening, but after confirmation that James will not be available, the German will surely stick with what worked so well in the second half against Man City.
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