Daniel Farke must rectify Willy Gnonto error as Noah Okafor injury update emerges at Leeds
Noah Okafor is not going to recover in time from the injury sustained in Leeds’ FA Cup victory.
It was believed earlier this week that Okafor had suffered a cramp in the latter stages of their clash with Birmingham, having been taken off before extra time.
Daniel Farke was hopeful that he would be able to make the squad for this weekend’s trip to Villa, but he has since confirmed that will not be the case.
The Swiss forward will miss up to four weeks with a hamstring injury, which is a huge blow for the Whites given his recent form.
However, when one door closes, another opens, and it could be a perfect chance for Farke to fix the error he has made with Gnonto this season.
Daniel Farke has been utilising Willy Gnonto wrongly
First and foremost, Farke has not been utilising Gnonto anywhere near as much as he should this season.
The 22-year-old has started just four times in the Premier League this season, with only 349 minutes of top-flight action.
However, that isn’t the biggest issue. That is down to the fact that Farke has started to utilise him as a wing-back more often, which is clearly not his best position.
Gnonto is at his best when in the attacking areas, and with Okafor set to miss the clash at Villa Park, the Italian is comfortably the most sensible choice to play in behind either Lukas Nmecha or Dominic Calvert-Lewin.
When played in an attacking area of the pitch, Gnonto registered 15 goal contributions last season, showing how much more effective he is there.
There is some good news ahead of Aston Villa clash
Okafor’s absence will be a huge blow to Leeds’ chances of posing a threat going forward, but that has been softened by the imminent return of Anton Stach.
The German has been sidelined with an injury since the end of January, and with 44 chances created this season, his return could somewhat subsuside for the loss of Okafor.
Added to that, the Whites could also welcome Pascal Struijk and Dan James back to the squad, both of whom missed their recent FA Cup triumph.
Struijk has been an integral component of the back five utilised by Farke this season, and if deemed fit enough, will almost certainly start this weekend.
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