Leeds fans immediately react to Jack Harrison v Man United in Sweden
Daniel Farke did himself few favours by selecting Jack Harrison to start for Leeds against Manchester United on Saturday.
Despite Harrison leaving West Yorkshire for Everton in the last two seasons, Farke selected the winger to start in Leeds’ pre-season fixture in Stockholm.
It is not the first time the German manager has attempted to reintegrate players who left on bad terms following Leeds’ relegation from the Premier League, with both Max Wober and Brenden Aaronson featuring last season.
The decision has not gone down well within the Leeds fanbase, with many questioning why a player who does not want to play for the Whites is featuring as part of their Premier League preparations.
Harrison was booed upon return to Leeds starting XI
Leeds’ friendly against Manchester United in pre-season was a good opportunity for the likes of Lukas Nmecha and Jaka Bijol to gel with their new teammates.
Despite Harrison recently being seen in some training footage at Thorp Arch, many just expected this to be a temporary thing until the winger found a new club.
However, with the Englishman featuring on the left in Farke’s starting XI, there could be a possibility that Farke plans to reintegrate Harrison into the team the same way he did with Aaronson.
United fans at the game in Stockholm were evidently not impressed with Farke’s decision as they gave Harrison a big boo when his name was read out over the tannoy, Isaac Johnson shared on X (19 July)
Graham Smyth was also in attendance at the game and reported that Harrison was also booed as he got on the ball in the early stages of the action.
Reaction from Leeds fans more than understandable
It would have been naive from Farke to expect anything other than a hostile reception for Harrison upon his return to Leeds.
Along with the toxicity between the winger and the fanbase, the 28-year-old is coming off the back of a dreadful season at Everton, where he recorded just one goal and wasn’t credited with an assist in his 34 appearances in the Premier League.
Largie Ramazani hardly kicked a ball for Leeds last season, yet displayed quality in virtually every appearance he made.
Not prioritising his development in pre-season is a criminal decision from Farke that will likely leave Ramazani frustrated and rightfully so.
Hopefully, it is just a case of putting Harrison in the shop window for other clubs, as relying on him next season will have disastrous consequences.
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