Ethan Ampadu says two Leeds United players are thriving, admits it must have been frustrating to begin with under Daniel Farke

Add as preferred source on Google

Leeds United are not in action until the end of next week with a trip to Swansea in place for November 24, but Ethan Ampadu has been full of praise for two Elland Road stars.

Ampadu has been sidelined since picking up a knee injury in the first half of the 3-0 win over Coventry towards the end of September. It has seen him miss the last eight Championship games, out injured.

Leeds chose not to operate on Ampadu but it is expected that the Leeds skipper was going to be back in the new year. But, Daniel Farke recently said that Ampadu is ahead of schedule, and could return sooner.

Ampadu also spoke positively about his injury this week, with the Wales star sharing the treatment room with Ilia Gruev – who had surgery on his knee. They have been replaced by Ao Tanaka and Joe Rothwell.

• READ MORE: Leeds’ chances of signing Sunderland star are deemed as unlikely by pundit

Ethan Ampadu heaps praise on two Leeds players

Speaking to BBC Radio Leeds, Ampadu has raved about the two players that have replaced him and Gruev in the middle of the park. Rothwell and Tanaka have been immense, and Ampadu is impressed.

“They’ve been very impressive. All us players, staff knew how good they were anyway. They might not have had the minutes they would have liked before, but they’re doing it now and they’re thriving with it.

“They’re helping the team in their own ways, but it’s positive – they’ve played really well every game, but it didn’t come as a shock as we see it week in, week out in training,” Ampadu said, on Rothwell and Tanaka.

Who starts for Leeds when Ampadu and Gruev return?

Interestingly, Leeds have amassed the same amount of points from the same games when Ampadu and Gruev are starting, and when Rothwell and Tanaka have started. But who starts when all four are fit?

Plenty to chew on there. Clearly, Tanaka is the best passer of the ball of the four, and has made more interceptions and blocks than any. Judging by the stats, the Japan star is in the best form of all four.

So who partners him? Stuart Dallas thinks Rothwell will give Farke a headache and he could be right, given Rothwell has created more chances and is the only one of the four to provide a goal involvement.

Certainly, when Ampadu and Gruev are back, they have a fight on their hands to get back into Farke’s side. Something that might not have been foreseen by Leeds fans when they first got injured.