Lucas Radebe will be in attendance at Elland Road when Leeds United face Sheffield United on Friday.
Radebe has been invited as a special guest of the club and will be brought out onto the pitch at half-time of the sort of game he would’ve thrived upon during his playing career.
Having made over 250 appearances for Leeds, Radebe is still very much of a fan of the club and posts regularly on Twitter regarding matters at Elland Road, including after the announcement of his attendance at Friday’s match.
Leeds could not have picked a tougher match to return to after the international break with Sheffield United the only unbeaten side in the EFL.
Preparations at Thorp Arch have also been far from ideal to say the least, with Farke revealing he only had 14/15 players in training on Wednesday, due to late returning internationals.
Radebe on what he noticed about Leeds training
Ahead of Friday, Radebe was also invited back to Leeds’ training ground to watch his former side build up to such a big game.
Though Junior Firpo, Ao Tanaka, Brenden Aaronson, Wilfried Gnonto, Mateo Joseph and Charlie Crew are all likely to have missed every session this week, plenty of players will have been working hard, hoping to earn a place in Farke‘s starting XI.
Radebe is undoubtedly a club legend at Leeds and so knows better than most how to establish yourself in the good books of Whites supporters.
And speaking in an interview with BBC West Yorkshire Sport, Radebe believes the current squad will do exactly that, sharing how hard he saw them working in training and how much it means to them representing Leeds.
He said: “I was actually invited to watch the training session and I thought I might have my boots out, I was nearly jumping over to join in.
“But it is great to see that they are working hard, and each and every one of those players want to represent Leeds in the best possible way at the highest level, which brings back great memories, going up there, being up there, smelling a little bit of grass.
“I am pleased I was here setting standard for the current players and the young and upcoming ones, and still being a big part of the club, which for me is great respect to Leeds United.”
- READ MORE: Daniel Farke on what he will now tell referees about Joe Rodon before every Leeds United game
Leeds starting XI Radebe could see against Sheffield United
Farke handed his non-internationals the full week off after Sunderland to rest and recover after a testing period of matches.
The last two weeks has provided both Manor Solomon and Dan James the time to return to training following respective hamstring injuries.
Given Aaronson’s late return, one of those two could be needed from the start against the Blades, the most likely of which would be Solomon.
Elsewhere, there is unlikely to be too many changes. Farke has backed Illan Meslier after his error at Sunderland, while Mateo Joseph will also be pushing to return.
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