Daniel Farke insists he is “very happy” with Leeds United’s medical staff ahead of the match against Coventry City, despite a rising injury list.
The Whites are dealing with an injury crisis ahead of their meeting on Saturday (September 28), with Tottenham loanee Manor Solomon joining the list.
Farke addressed the current situation at his pre-match news conference, according to Leeds Live [26 September], which reports that up to six key players could be absent this weekend.
He stated, “I am quite pleased with our entire medical department. With all of the others, especially due to the load of all the games, I am pleased with the results thus far. Hopefully, this is only an exception this week.
“After each season, you assess what happened and look at injuries, whether they are muscular issues that you can avoid or if there are a lot of contact injuries, but even last season we were pleased.
“In terms of training load, it was one of the greatest, if not the highest, loads seen at this club in years, yet with the lowest injury rate. Overall, we were delighted with it.
“Then, in pre-season and at the start of the season, we were very thrilled because we had some pretty excellent games with no injuries.
“For example, Max Wober got hurt while on international duty for his country, and he has not been able to play for us since.
“So occasionally you get unlucky with something you can’t control. Sometimes you have to accept it.”
Leeds United face injury crisis with Coventry City.
Leeds United may have won 2-0 against Cardiff City last weekend, but Farke’s start to the season has fallen far short of expectations.
The Whites have moved into the playoff slots, but they still need to close the five-point deficit with West Brom at the top of the Championship table to get their season back on track.
Farke should still be able to present a team capable of earning three points against Coventry. However, with Norwich City, Sunderland, and Sheffield United to face in the next three games, Leeds will need to deploy their strongest lineup to avoid falling further behind their promotion opponents.
Junior Firpo and Patrick Bamford’s absence from training this week exacerbated the situation. Solomon and Daniel James have been confirmed out, and Max Wober will be out for an extended period of time.
Leeds are likely without six regular starts for the encounter, and while it is an ideal opportunity for periphery players to stake a claim in their absence, the piling injuries could not have come at a worse moment.
Farke needs to build on his weekend performance in order to overcome the difficult fixture schedule that lies ahead. This is what Leeds anticipated when it recruited near the conclusion of the summer transfer season, and now it is time for those players to step up.
