Daniel Farke to make Pascal Struijk call at Leeds United after new injury developments
Joe Donnohue has backed Daniel Farke to hand Pascal Struijk the Leeds United captain’s armband against Norwich City after new injury developments.
The Whites will look to extend their winning run to three matches in the Championship when they face the Canaries at Carrow Road on Tuesday (1 October) having beaten Coventry City last time out.
Farke will be without Ethan Ampadu however after the Welshman was ruled out for 10 weeks with a knee injury [YEP, 30 September] and in the midfielder’s absence, Yorkshire Evening Post journalist Donnohue expects Struijk to captain the side.
Writing for the Yorkshire Evening Post (30 September) he said: “Reported a mild adductor issue following the Cardiff City game but came through 90 minutes against Coventry.
“Likely to take the armband in Ampadu’s absence.”
What has happened to Ethan Ampadu at Elland Road and Leeds United?
Losing Ampadu for an extended period is a massive blow to Leeds United, both off and on the pitch given the Welshman’s role off the field as the captain and head of the leadership group.
The former Chelsea man is Farke’s leader on the field and while both Struijk and even Illan Meslier are also part of the new-look leadership group at Elland Road, they may not be quite as natural captains as Ampadu.
Hopefully, the Dutchman will be able to help the Whites stay within touching distance of the automatic promotion places over the coming months. Even without Ampadu, this Leeds side is strong enough to mount a serious push for a return to the Premier League.
There will be fears about a lack of depth in both midfield and defence, but there seems to be enough quality in Farke’s ranks to cover for Ampadu, as long as the Whites don’t pick up any more injuries in the coming weeks.
Leeds will just want to get through these two matches before the international break with six points and no fresh fitness concerns under their belt.
In other Leeds United news, the Whites have been told to take Ao Tanaka and Ilia Gruev action after new injury developments
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