Leeds United boss Daniel Fark appears to have chosen an alternative to Ethan Ampadu and vowed to his side to “stomp” Arsenal in positive football with the Emirates.
Ethan Ampadu suffers an MCL knee injury in Monday’s Everton victory and misses Saturday’s crash with the Emirates.
“It’s an MCL (medial cruciate ligament) injury. He’ll be out at least until an international break,” Fark confirmed.
“Usually he came back pretty quickly after his injury. Ethan is a big mistake. There’s no doubt about this. We don’t have to lie and sugar stuff the situation. But we’ll find a solution.”
Now, the attention changes to Captain. Pascal Struijk wore an armband during Ampadu’s absence last season, and Farke again selected him as leader.
“He was excellent and he was a great performance,” Fark said of the defender’s display against Everton.
“Like the defensive colossus, he got a lot of headers, but Pascal is very good at the ball and has a good build-up.
“He was a great player for us last season. He proved his worth. Of course, he is also a big leader in the dressing room.”
It points to Struik, Leeds’ leading at Arsenal, even if bigger debate among fans replaces Ampadu in the middle. Ilia Gruev, Sean Longstaff and Anton Stach are all options, but Farke kept the cards closed on that phone.
Leeds coverage for the F365…
👉Nmecha Leeds hero, but the answer to Fark’s “quality” question might be welcomed by human utd
👉Leeds United: After landing Noah Okafor, Fark flips to sign him to be “let go”
Riverpool recruited three Premier League clubs alongside players “considering his options.”
The arrival of Noah Okafor from AC Milan has at least boosted preparations.
“He played for two big Italian clubs (AC Milan and Napoli) and for RB Salzburg, Champions League level,” Fark said. “He’s a player who is likely to have more or less all the skills.”
Dominique Calvert Lewin also signed, and Leeds boss claims that “there is a lot of pressure away,” but emphasizes that “there is always room for good quality.”
Currently, the focus is off Arsenal and Fark is not planning to park the bus.
“We’re selling DNA in the Premier League this season and we’re not going to park the bus,” he said. “If you just try to defend for 96 minutes or anything, you don’t have a chance to survive there.
“We need to have as many periods as possible that we can control the ball and possess it and recover, and we waste energy shifting against it.
“It’s important to create opportunities, scare them, and try to play positive football, but there are periods of time when we struggle and we need to be well-structured and compact.
“They have the best ambitions, the best demands. They want to play in all titles. They are one of the most powerful enemies you can meet.”
