Phil Hay: Adam Forshaw could come in to start for Leeds United v Everton
Phil Hay has shared that there is a “strong chance” of Leeds United naming an unchanged starting XI against Everton.
Despite that, the Athletic journalist has insisted that Adam Forshaw could come back off the bench to shore up the midfield after the thriller against Aston Villa.
That would see one of Robin Koch or Mateusz Klich drop out, although it would likely be the latter of those two.
Writing in his pre-match Q&A for The Athletic, Hay mooted the potential of a switch in the middle of the park.
“It’s off to Merseyside today for a meeting with Frank Lampard’s Everton – another side in the mix near the bottom of the Premier League,” he said.
“The absentee list is the same for Leeds: Bamford, Phillips, Cooper and Firpo all missing.
“There’s a strong chance of an unchanged line-up at Goodison Park, although the concessions at Villa Park on Wednesday night were an argument for recalling Adam Forshaw, to shore up the midfield slightly.”
Strong Chance.
No one would complain about this change if it was to happen.
Leeds’ midfield played well on Wednesday evening at Villa, but they were far too open at times with Klich and Rodrigo not great at tracking back.
That isn’t a dig at their overall performances though, as they caused real problems in the final third for Aston Villa.
Having Forshaw in there guarantees someone who will never stop running, and given his history at Everton, he may have a point to prove.
Frank Lampard will be asking for a relentless style from the likes of Allan and Donny Van de Beek, so having Forshaw in there would be perfect.
Time will tell, but it looks like Klich would be the clear option to drop out onto the bench and make a difference from there if needed.
In other Leeds United news, Gary Lineker was left stunned by ‘Bonkers’ developments in Aston Villa draw this week