Leeds United winger Wilfried Gnonto suffered “bruises and bleeding” against Norwich City on May 12, but manager Daniel Farke has stated he will be fit for the second play-off leg at Elland Road.
According to Yorkshire Evening Post journalist Joe Donnohue, Farke did his best to keep Gnonto “fresh” for the crucial play-off semi-final on May 16.
Gnonto had a mixed performance in the first leg at Carrow Road, being denied a penalty early on and looking dangerous on the counter-attack, but received a yellow card for dissent and was replaced midway through the second half.
In his most recent updates, Farke stated that Gnonto “had some bruises and was also bleeding a little bit” after the first leg.
Wilfried Gnonto must do better for Leeds United in the second leg.
Leeds United are level in their play-off semi-final against Norwich after drawing 0-0 in the ‘first half’ at Carrow Road.
The other semi-final, between Southampton and West Brom, also ended goalless at The Hawthorns, leaving all four promotion-chasing teams with everything to play for in the critical second leg.
Gnonto, who received an unnecessary yellow card for clapping in response to a soft refereeing decision, may have been withdrawn by Farke for fitness reasons, but it’s evident the German was also concerned about the possibility of a second booking for the livewire Italian forward.
At Carrow Road, the Whites opened with a new-look 4-3-3 formation, with Gnonto on the right of a front three that also included Georginio Rutter and Crysencio Summerville, but none of the three could make much of an impact in a packed final-third struggle.
With the second leg at Elland Road quickly approaching, Farke will be hoping that having a home crowd behind Gnonto will help to keep the 20-year-old’s frustrations at bay, and the Italian international must rise to the occasion if he is to help Leeds break their play-off curse and reach Wembley.
