‘Come to the fore’… Sky commentator blown away by surprise impact of two Leeds United players recently

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Daniel Farke has handed some of Leeds United’s fringe players the chance to shine in recent weeks.

The final few months of 2023 saw Farke find an extremely settled starting XI but injuries and a couple of poor results over the festive period forced the Leeds boss to undergo a bit of a re-think.

Those alterations have certainly paid dividends for Farke so far in 2024, as Leeds have won all seven Championship matches since the turn of the New Year, propelling them up to second place.

Patrick Bamford, Ilia Gruev, Junior Firpo and Willy Gnonto are the names who fall under that category. The quartet had started just 10 league games between them up until the New Year’s Day win over Birmingham City.

And speaking on the latest episode of the EFL podcast, Sky Sports commentator Gary Weaver has singled out Gnonto and Gruev in particular for how they have ‘come to the fore’ in recent weeks.

Weaver impressed by Gnonto and Gruev impact

He said: “Leeds are flying at the moment, but Daniel Farke’s consistent message has been let’s get two points a game. What he wasn’t expecting is those around him would also be getting two a game.

“Great win at Swansea for them, Willy Gnonto has come to the fore again for them and you look at Ilia Gruev as well who has taken his chance now. It’s a very competitive squad that Farke has built there.”

In terms of Gnonto, he finally looks as though he has got over the hangover from the summer and has really hit form recently, with four goals in as many starts across all competitions.

The 20-year-old is looking like his old confident self again and it is clearly having a positive impact on the team. His, Georginio Rutter and Crysencio Summerville’s link-up play is so impressive.

Gruev, meanwhile, had a very tough start to life at Elland Road following his arrival from Werder Bremen in the summer, but since his introduction into the team, has gone from strength-to-strength.

He rarely gives the ball away but is also brilliant at winning it back. It is no surprise that Leeds’ defensive record has improved since he came into the team.