James Trafford in a Leeds goalkeeper top, with Daniel Farke alongside him applauding and Elland Road in the background

James Trafford and Daniel FarkeManh Tung, Breaking Media

Leeds touch down in Dublin for Manchester United showdown - James Trafford latest and who was spotted

Assistant Editor AUTHORITY Senior editor responsible for daily news flow, sub-hub management, and maintaining editorial standards across the site network. FOCUS Editorial oversight, newsroom workflow, and verified reporting. THE BRIEF Former Leeds United correspondent Mark has risen through the ranks at Breaking Media Limited to manage the network’s daily output. He works between the reporters and the experts to ensure the data and the news are applied correctly to every story.

Published on:

12 Aug 2026, 2:47 pm

Leeds United have touched down in the Republic of Ireland for their showpiece friendly against Manchester United.

The two great rivals will do battle at the famous Croke Park, with over 80,000 supporters expected inside.

Daniel Farke is expected to go strong as the Premier League season ticks ever closer.

Tarik Muharemovic and Harry Wilson have started superbly, with wins over Liverpool, Sunderland and RB Leipzig in the bank.

Now, Leeds fans are wanting to see record signing James Trafford.

Leeds paid over £40million to sign Trafford, and everybody is anxiously waiting to see if he'll play a part on Wednesday.

Who has travelled with Leeds squad to Ireland?

In brilliant news for all, Trafford has travelled with his new teammates.

Another boost for Farke is the return of Noah Okafor, who is also in Ireland after his extended break after the World Cup.

Leeds have touched down at Dublin Airport, travelling earlier on Wednesday ahead of the game later that evening.

Sharing pictures on X, the likes of Trafford and Okafor were spotted with Ethan Ampadu, Joe Rodon and Anton Stach among others.

@LUFC have arrived at Dublin Airport ahead of their preseason friendly against @ManUtd at @CrokePark ⚽️👏✈️#leedsunited #football pic.twitter.com/E2L55ySGWk
— Dublin Airport (@DublinAirport) August 12, 2026

Any surprises in Leeds United squad?

Farke is usually quite easy to predict, but there was one question mark.

Joel Piroe was the only unused substitute against RB Leipzig on Saturday at Elland Road, despite there being 120 minutes of action.

Farke revealed it was due to a lack of available space and positions on the pitch, yet academy players were used ahead of him.

Piroe has been linked with an exit consistently since promotion, yet is still sticking around in LS11.

What happens next with Joel Piroe at Leeds as Daniel Farke offers clarity on RB Leipzig snub

And with that, the striker was spotted with the rest of the squad in Dublin.

One that maybe isn't a surprise is the absence of Gabriel Gudmundsson, who faces an unlikely race against time to fit for the Premier League opener at Nottingham Forest.

There is no such thing as a friendly against Manchester United, so fans are expecting blood and thunder in Ireland.

With only this game and a final friendly with Augsburg to come, Farke needs to play his strongest sides to get them as ready as they can be for the real stuff.

That should, and probably will, include Trafford starting.

Gabriel Gudmundsson