Sean Longstaff faces tough road ahead at Leeds despite positive Elland Road start
Sean Longstaff joined Leeds United in the summer and immediately enjoyed a positive start.
Longstaff was instantly trusted by Daniel Farke after signing for £12million, as he started 10 of the opening 12 Premier League games this season.
However, injury struck the former Newcastle man at the end of November, ruling him out until the New Year.
Once he returned, Longstaff would have been aiming to regain his position in Farke’s plans. That task has been a difficult one, and he faces an arduous few months ahead.
Sean Longstaff’s performance vs Birmingham weakens his case to start for Leeds
While Longstaff scored the winning penalty for Leeds against Birmingham in the FA Cup on Sunday, his overall performance left a lot to be desired.
The Peacocks struggled to exert control against the Championship side, and it was clear that this was Longstaff’s first start since November.
A lot of his actions felt rusty, and the midfielder has not done himself any favours in terms of future starts.
With Leeds’ results and performances improving following his injury in November, Farke is now more likely to trust those around him who were available for that festive run that saw the Elland Road side go seven games unbeaten.
The Leeds star now faces a tough road ahead to rebuild the trust he had with his manager in the opening months of the season.
He’ll need consistent minutes to quickly refind that form, but with relegation still a possibility, Farke cannot risk going against what has been working in the Premier League.
For now, it seems that Longstaff will be playing a bit-part role throughout the rest of the season, with minutes limited to appearances off the bench.
Especially with Ethan Ampadu and Ilia Gruev impressing over recent weeks.
Has Longstaff missed his chance this season?
Leeds’ FA Cup fifth-round draw seems to open the door for fringe players like Longstaff to have another chance to show their quality, but that may not be the case.
The LS11 club have been drawn at home against another Championship opposition in Norwich City.
There is a real chance for Leeds to go on a cup run, as the draws have been favourable so far, and that could signal bad news for those hoping for a rare start.
After struggling against Birmingham and only narrowly going through, Farke could opt to go stronger this time around.
That means that those such as Ao Tanaka, Longstaff and Wilfried Gnonto may find themselves benched for the next round.
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