Leeds United ‘make Daniel James squad decision’ for Oxford United clash
Leeds United boss Daniel Farke has decided on the involvement on Daniel James for the clash with Oxford United.
The Whites can strengthen their grip on the Championship promotion places with victory at the Kassam Stadium (18 April), but they are sweating on the fitness of their star man.
The Welshman has been absent since picking up a hamstring injury in the 1-0 win over Middlesbrough on 8 April.
Farke makes James decision for vital Oxford United contest
Farke had confirmed that he will not risk James if he is not fit enough for the Good Friday clash with the bottom-half side.
It seems that he has made his decision on the Welsh wizard’s status for the crucial promotion contest and it may not be the outcome that supporters had hoped for.
Leeds Live have reported (18 April) that James will not be in the squad for the trip to Oxford, but Farke can still call upon the likes of Wilfried Gnonto, Manor Solomon and Largie Ramazani.
Leeds need to save James for run-in
It makes no sense to risk James as he could end up aggravating his injury and miss the last three matches of the season, which would be disastrous.
The options available to Farke should be good enough to beat the Yellows, who sit 17th in the Championship table, without their talismanic attacker.
| Stats (Championship) | James |
| Matches | 35 |
| Goals | 12 |
| Assists | 9 |
| Minutes played | 2606 |
The 27-year-old should be back to full fitness for the Easter Monday clash with Stoke and he will be crucial if Leeds are to secure promotion to the Premier League from the strong position that they are in.
James has carried the Peacocks on his back at times this season, notching 12 goals and nine assists in the league, including two strikes in his last two games.
If the former Manchester United winger returns from his latest problem in top form, then it will drastically improve the Whites’ chances of going up to the top flight for the first time since the 2022/23 campaign.
They need their star man to be fit and firing because he is the biggest difference maker at Elland Road and could fire them back into the big time almost single-handedly.