Daniel Farke has singled out one Leeds United player as someone he simply does not want to drop this season.
Farke has managed to establish a pretty settled starting XI over the last couple of months, with only the odd change made here and there during a run of form that has seen Leeds win 12 of their last 13 league matches.
Players such as Patrick Bamford, Ilia Gruev and Willy Gnonto have all come to the fore in that period, but there is a small group who Leeds simply cannot do without if they are to get promoted.
One man who certainly falls under that category is Ethan Ampadu, who has played all but one minute of every league game since joining from Chelsea for £7 million in the summer.
Speaking in his pre-Millwall press conference today, Farke says Ampadu is a model professional in terms of how he recovers between matches, which is a mentality he absolutely loves.
Farke hails Ampadu mentality
He said: “It’s a credit to his personality and quality, he’s in cruise control. At the moment he’s impressive with his consistency. Such an impressive defensive player, but also in build-up and leadership.
“I always want to have him on the pitch, he looks sharp and prepared. I love his mentality, he does a lot between games, to recover, he’s very professional and mature for a young age.
“He’s not the only player but one player that is in the spotlight. I’m pretty pleased with Ethan – we assess him every week, hopefully he stays without injuries in great shape.”
Ampadu spent much of the first half of the season playing in midfield, but has not seen his level drop at all since dropping into centre-back in the absence of Pascal Struijk.
Amid Farke’s latest update on Struijk today, Ampadu may be required at the back for the rest of the season, and so Leeds simply cannot afford him to get injured during the run-in.
With the performances he has put in for the price Leeds paid, there has not been many better signings over the last few years than Ampadu.
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