Daniel Farke has reiterated the situations of Leeds United duo Luis Sinisterra and Wilfried Gnonto cannot be compared after he was asked whether they can ever be reintegrated back into the squad.
Farke was speaking in his pre-match press conference ahead of the game with West Bromwich Albion on Friday, where the futures of both Gnonto and Sinisterra once again a hot topic.
Gnonto has refused to play in each of Leeds‘ last two matches in all competitions, first making himself unavailable for the Carabao Cup tie with Shrewsbury Town after growing frustrated with the club’s refusal to sell him to Everton.
Despite then training in the two days between the match against Shrewsbury Town and trip to Birmingham City, he then also ruled himself out of the game against the latter.
Sinisterra, meanwhile, was also a surprise absentee for the defeat at St. Andrews, with Farke refusing to give too much away as to why he was absent after the game.
Farke discusses whether Gnonto and Sinisterra can return at Leeds
Today, however, he has gone into far greater detail on Sinisterra’s situation, claiming ‘he has an exit clause’ with ‘some open question marks’ that need clarifying from a ‘legal’ standpoint.
On whether they can ever be brought back into the fold at Leeds, Farke insisted he will ‘never beg a player to come back’ regardless of their ability.
He said: “I don’t want to speak about individual players. You can’t compare the situation between the two because I think it’s professional from a legal point of view. It’s different between the two. I’ve been there in the past so it’s for us to educate the players and show as a club that we’re always in the driving seat.
“Young players are there with uncertainty and it’s the same situation. I’ve had to leave two players out because they weren’t focussed and then they were the heroes of promotion. The club is bigger than any individual. It’s important we learn from the lessons of the past. My style will never be to beg a player to come back. We are Leeds United.”
Of course, it will be important to know the full details on Sinisterra’s situation before supporters are able to make a full judgement on whether he can be welcomed back.
If Gnonto was ever to comeback, though, he has far more work to do in order to rebuild the bridges he has burnt to the ground between himself and fans in recent days.
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