Leeds United: Daniel Farke must drop Dan James as injury update emerges at Elland Road
Daniel Farke must be prepared to drop Dan James from the starting XI as Leeds United prepare for a Championship clash against Blackburn Rovers on Saturday (13 April).
The Welshman has experienced his best season in terms of goal contribution numbers at Elland Road, but his form has dipped off in recent weeks, despite a halfway-line goal against Hull City.
With 13 goals and seven assists in the league, James has become one of the most important forwards under Farke, but he has now only scored once in his last four starts.
It certainly does not help that the Whites have struggled in general recently, only managing to pick up a total of five points against Watford, Hull, Coventry City and Sunderland during a heated title race.
The potential return of Wilfried Gnonto could be a significant update at Elland Road ahead of the match against Blackburn, and his inclusion could see James dropped to the bench.
Speaking in his pre-match press conference (12 April), Farke said: “All the players came through the last game. Also for Ethan [Ampadu], it was quite important for him to recover a little bit. At the moment, everyone is in good shape.
“Also, it’s good for Willy Gnonto and Connor Roberts to prepare after their muscle injuries. They came through the last game without any problems, so we’re in a much better position than we were perhaps ten days ago.”
Could Wilfried Gnonto force Daniel Farke to drop Dan James for Leeds United?
James’ form in the last few matches has been far below his season average, and this was showcased as Leeds drew 0-0 with Sunderland on Tuesday 9 April.
Having taken two shots against the Black Cats, he recorded a 0 per cent accuracy, as well as being successful with 0 per cent of his dribbles, and 0 per cent of his attempted crosses. [FotMob]
The final stat is the most damning, with several balls into the box wasted and creating zero chances, meaning Patrick Bamford had little to feast off in the penalty area.
Gnonto could add some much-needed threat to Leeds’ frontline, ranking in the top 97 percentile for non-penalty goals, the top 94 percentile for progressive passes, and the top 89 percentile for touches in the attacking penalty area. [FBref]
With Leicester City and Ipswich Town leading the Whites by just one point, it is vital that Blackburn are not another banana peel for Leeds, with Premier League promotion at stake.
In other Leeds United news, Fabrizio Romano has shared the latest on Phillips and the likelihood of a return to Yorkshire.
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