Leeds United ran riot against Cardiff City on Saturday afternoon. The Whites won 7-0 and there were several Man of the Match candidates, one being Dan James.
Dan James was electric in the game against Cardiff City. He set the tempo for the game early doors. bursting through Cardiff’s defence with ease and creating two early goals for Brenden Aaronson and Manor Solomon.
Leeds went into half-time with a 2-0 lead. Five minutes after the restart though, James was on the scoresheet himself, with goals then coming from Mateo Joseph, Wilfried Gnonto, and two for Joel Piroe.
But of all the players who scored against Cardiff, Junior Firpo was the player that stood out for many fans, and for James too. The Dominic international grabbed three assists in what was his first start for the club since December.
After the game, Leeds United fans all praised Firpo and have urged Daniel Farke to keep on playing him at left-back over Sam Byram.
Dan James makes ‘special mention’ to Junior Firpo after Cardiff City
James steals a lot of the headlines after that win over Cardiff. He’s now scored eight goals and assisted six more in the Championship this season, whilst leading scorer Piroe takes his tally up to an impressive 12 for the campaign.
But speaking on LUTV after the match, it was Firpo who James wanted to give a mention to. The Welshman said: “Special mention to Junior as well. He’s been out a while and he’s got three assists today. But everyone chipped in today.”
Firpo’s Man of the Match performance comes at quite a tricky time for him as well. There’s uncertainty over his future with Real Betis interested in signing Firpo, but all signs are pointing towards him staying until the summer.
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What Daniel Farke previously said about Junior Firpo’s Leeds United future
The 28-year-old Firpo remains out of contract in the summer. Previously, Leeds fans thought Firpo should be released as he’s likely on high wages and can often pick up injuries.
But many might change their tune after performances like the one against Cardiff. The decision though ultimately lies with Farke.
Speaking in December, Farke said on Firpo’s future: “No at the moment there is no time to speak about the future. We are playing all three days and also obviously during the injury he should concentrate on the proper rehab.
“There will be the moment we talk about this topic. As you know he had a difficult start to life at Leeds United.”
Leeds’ next Championship fixture is against Coventry City on Wednesday and expect Firpo to keep his starting spot for that one. If he keeps on performing then he may have a lot of options in the summer.
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