Junior Firpo faces Leeds United axe, Daniel Farke isn’t happy
Junior Firpo could be dropped by Leeds United boss Daniel Farke after his display in the 1-0 loss against Blackburn Rovers.
The Whites were denied the chance to return to the summit of the Championship by a Todd Cantwell penalty on Saturday (30 November).
The German manager was already annoyed with Firpo, and his performance on his return from a three-match suspension for a headbutt incident against Millwall only added to the disappointment.
The Dominican international was not at his absolute best at Ewood Park and Farke later admitted he still wasn’t pleased with the defender for what he did against Millwall.
As per LeedsLive [30 November], the German said: “He was rusty, due to his suspension, which broke his rhythm.
“No excuses. He had a better second half, but he was not at the top level in the first half. [Isaac] Schmidt or [Sam] Byram would have given us options. I was hoping for a better first half – sadly not.”
Junior Firpo decision could define Leeds United season
The Whites are reportedly interested in a deal for Swedish sensation Daniel Svensson [Fotball Direkt] as doubts emerge over Firpo’s willingness to sign a new deal at Elland Road.
The 28-year-old has shown little interest in putting pen to paper so far amid interest from Spanish top-flight sides in his services [Mundo Deportivo].
With the frustration from Farke over Firpo’s recent actions, the Whites could look to move him on in January, Byram impressing in his absence.
The left-back was solid offensively in the loss to Rovers, recording a 95 per cent passing accuracy, creating once chance and making two passes into the final third. [Fotmob]
Defensively, his numbers were also okay as he won the only tackle he attempted, made six clearances, three interceptions and five recoveries.
In terms of duels, he won six of ten on the ground for a 60 per cent success rate but lost the only aerial challenge he attempted.
That is a solid enough performance on his return from a three-match suspension, but it seems that he needs to do more to impress his manager and cement his place in the starting XI.
On the back of the Blackburn loss, it may well be that Byram comes back into the side against Derby County should he recover from injury in time.
In other Leeds news, one youth talent is impressing on loan proving Farke right.
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