Daniel Farke must bite bullet v Peterborough United amid Ethan Ampadu’s non-stop season
Ethan Ampadu has played 100 per cent of minutes for Leeds United this season, starting all 28 of their matches in the Championship and EFL Cup.
The Welshman has made quite the impact under Daniel Farke since he arrived from Chelsea in the summer, combining with Glen Kamara to form one of the most unstoppable midfielder partnerships in the Championship.
Farke has experienced first-hand how detrimental injuries can be to a campaign, losing Sam Byram, Junior Firpo, Pascal Struijk, Jamie Shackleton and Wilfried Gnonto all to injuries at different points of the season.
With this in mind, Farke needs to give Ampadu a rest before he picks up an injury that keeps him out for a few weeks, rather than experiencing a couple of matches on the bench.
The FA Cup tie against Peterborough on Sunday 7 January represents the perfect opportunity for the 23-year-old to be rested and Ilia Gruev a great opportunity to prove himself further at Leeds.
The Bulgarian arrived at Elland Road in the summer from Werder Bremen but has only managed to make 11 appearances, with Farke slowly integrating him into the squad.
Even with the hype around Gruev, no one would expect the 23-year-old to claim a spot in midfield over Ampadu or Kamara. He has claimed 14 caps at international level so expectations will be there when he does start.
And he should be given the nod against Peterborough for the Whites’ FA Cup fixture, allowing Ampadu a well-earned rest ahead of more tough league fixtures and the opportunity to lead Wales to EURO 2024 via the playoffs.
He would be an enormous miss if injury were to strike. Farke has been lucky enough so far with injuries, with most of them being dealt to squad players who can be replaced with a bit of rejigging, such as Djed Spence converting to left-back in the absence of Byram and Firpo.
It will be a difficult decision to make for Farke. But with Championship fixtures coming thick and fast, with the hope of earning promotion back to the Premier League, it may be a weakened side that takes on the League One outfit including a rare Leeds start for Gruev.
In other Leeds United news, the Whites could be set to call up a player’s agent to complete their first January transfer.