Ethan Ampadu has now been out of action for more than a month since Leeds United’s 3-0 win over Coventry City at Elland Road, picking up a knee injury in the first half.
The Leeds skipper’s injury was worsened when Ilia Gruev limped off in the next game, a trip to Daniel Farke’s old side Norwich. Ampadu has escaped the need for surgery, but Gruev went under the knife.
The duo have been replaced in midfield by Joe Rothwell and Ao Tanaka, with the two signings really impressing under the guidance of manager Farke. Stuart Dallas thinks Farke will have a headache soon.
That headache could arrive earlier than scheduled. Farke’s initial update on Ampadu was that he would be out until the new year, but he provided a new update on Ampadu during Tuesday’s press conference.
Daniel Farke has good news regarding captain Ethan Ampadu
Wednesday night’s trip to Millwall will be the seventh Leeds game that Ampadu misses, while also being absent for two Wales fixtures during the October break. It is still another two months he is likely to miss.
Asked about Ampadu’s road to recovery during his press conference, Farke responded by providing some good news on the Leeds skipper. He says Ampadu is ahead of schedule and could return slightly sooner.
“He’s doing good, working hard, already doing running stuff on the pitch. It will be a while until he can join us in training. He is ahead of schedule so I am hopeful he can return to team training a bit earlier.
“We expected he would be back in the middle of December for training and then January. But it would be nice to come back earlier, a bit sooner. He’s our captain, a versatile player. We’d love to have him back.
“But we won’t rush it. He’s ahead of schedule, but it is always difficult to say when he will be back. Rarely in my career I have witnessed a straightforward rehab. It looks really good but it is too soon to say when.”
How many points have Leeds won with and without Ampadu
Ampadu started every single one of Leeds’ 49 matches in the Championship last season including the play-offs, and has still started seven of Leeds’ 13 league games this time around in the bid to go up.
| Games | Wins | Draws | Losses | PPG | |
| Championship games with Ampadu | 56 | 33 | 11 | 12 | 1.96 |
| Championship games without Ampadu | 6 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 2.00 |
An interesting one. Ampadu has obviously had to play in midfield and in defence and back in to midfield, but it is fair to say the combination of Tanaka and Rothwell gives more attacking impetus in midfield.
It is a difficult one to compare given Leeds have only played six Championship games without the Wales star. But, the early signs show that maybe, Leeds have got better with a more attacking duo in midfield.
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