Leeds United: Daniel Farke confirms why Jaidon Anthony, Jamie Shackleton out vs Stoke City
Jaidon Anthony and Jamie Shackleton will both miss the Leeds United game against Stoke City, Daniel Farke has confirmed.
Speaking in his pre-match press conference on 4 March the German said the on-loan Bournemouth winger will again be out due to personal reasons.
Shackleton meanwhile will “definitely” miss both the Stoke visit on Tuesday night (5 March) and the subsequent trip to Sheffield Wednesday on Friday (8 March) as he is going through the concussion protocols.
The 24-year-old has only seen a minute of Championship action since late October but started twice in the FA Cup during January.
Anthony lost his mother earlier this season and has missed a couple of games previously on personal grounds.
Daniel Farke without two Leeds United men as he looks to bounce back from Huddersfield draw
Given the industrial nature of the 1-1 weekend draw at Huddersfield it is somewhat of a relief that the Whites won’t be missing more players.
Farke indicated that Junior Firpo is a doubt with a calf issue, but expects Sam Byram to be ready to step in if necessary after four games out of the side.
The German will clearly be expecting three points at home against a Stoke side struggling down in 22nd place, but the chances that they will sit back and challenge Leeds United to break them down won’t make it easy.
Shackleton’s involvement in the league side has been minimal recently, but with doubts around two full-backs it removes a key bit of cover if he is now unavailable.
Anthony has struggled for Championship starts given the form of Crysencio Summerville, Dan James and then Willy Gnonto this term, but delivered assists for both of Mateo Joseph’s goals in the 3-2 FA Cup defeat at Chelsea in midweek, in what was his fourth cup start of 2024.
With three league games in the space of seven days it would be no surprise to see the manager rotate the options he does have available for what should be a winnable home game on paper.
In other Leeds United news, a Whites talent’s breakthrough into senior football has been hit by a major set back with an injury that will keep him out for months.
For more Leeds news, follow us on Facebook or join our brand new WhatsApp Channel for instant updates to be sent straight to your phone.