Leeds United had a total of 13 players on international duty during the November break, with those players set to return to Thorp Arch ahead of Sunday’s trip to Swansea City.
Joe Rodon, Karl Darlow, Dan James and Charlie Crew were with Wales, while Max Wober and Manor Solomon also played in European Nations League games. Three went further than just European action.
Junior Firpo, Brenden Aaronson and Ao Tanaka travelled outside of Europe, while Sam Chambers, Rory Mahady, Wilfried Gnonto and Mateo Joseph represented their countries Under-21 and Under-19 sides.
Leeds United’s winners of the November international break
Daniel Farke
The Leeds manager will be delighted. No injuries of such, other than Rodon suffering a blow to the head. Gnonto and Aaronson only played a handful of minutes for their countries, in their final game.
They will come back fitter and fresher, while striker Joseph scored again and defender Wober got more minutes after his injury. Leeds also get an extra day with The Whites playing against Swansea on Sunday.
Mateo Joseph
Joseph netted his sixth goal in seven games for Spain’s U21 side in a 2-1 win over Denmark on Tuesday night. Spanish media said Joseph’s adaptation has been “spectacular”, as he continues to shine.
Sam Chambers and Rory Mahady
Great break for Scotland’s U19’s. Chambers won his first two caps, with Scotland fans praising Chambers after a 4-0 win over Licheinstein. Mahady played in a 0-0 draw against France, earning a clean sheet.
Joe Rodon and Karl Darlow
Promotion to Nations League A after a 0-0 draw against Turkey in which Rodon and Darlow starred, while Rodon then won his 50th cap in a solid 4-1 home win over Iceland. Welsh media praised Rodon, again.
Junior Firpo
Two consecutive 6-1 wins for The Dominican Republic saw Firpo’s men qualify for The 2025 Gold Cup for the first time. With Firpo banned for the next two games, he got two full 90 minutes under his belt.
Max Wober
Wober’s last outing prior to knee and hamstring injuries came for Austria at the start of September. But against Slovenia, Wober played 90 minutes. The £12.5m star will be delighted to get some minutes.
Leeds United’s losers of the November international break
Dan James
James failed to start against Turkey and in the 4-1 win over Iceland, Welsh media questioned James’ end product. Something that has been attributed to James over the years, with match sharpness lacking.
Charlie Crew
Crew was part of the Wales squad for Turkey and Iceland, but could not make the bench and with Wales’ U21 side having no fixtures, it meant he failed to add to his single solitary cap and recent Leeds debut.
Wilfried Gnonto
While it is good news for Leeds that Gnonto only played 32 minutes on Tuesday, Farke will have been hoping that Gnonto might have nabbed a goal having gone off the boil. He failed to, in two 2-2 draws.
Other Leeds United players in action during the November break
Elsewhere, Aaronson only played 30 minutes of USA’s second game after missing the first of two legs against Jamaica through illness. Good to see him return, but he is neither a winner or a loser this break.
Solomon got more minutes under his belt with starts against France and Belgium. Good results for Israel, who drew with France and beat Belgium – but Solomon failed to register an assist or score a goal.
He did not feature in Japan’s first game of the break but Tanaka played 90 minutes in a 3-1 win over China. Routine for Tanaka, who excelled once again but it is now becoming a regularity for the midfielder.
Receive a digest of our best Leeds content each week direct to your mailbox
