Not so long ago, Leeds United were pulling clear at the top of the Championship table. Now, they’re at risk of dropping out of the two top entirely.
On Friday night, Sunderland played Burnley at Turf Moor. The game could’ve seen Leeds lose their top spot but it ended goalless, which was the perfect outcome for Daniel Farke’s side.
Leeds return to action on Sunday with a game against Yorkshire rivals Sheffield Wednesday at Elland Road. But Farke will be without Pascal Struijk for the game against Wednesday.
On Friday, Farke revealed that Struijk is sidelined with a muscle injury, even suggesting that it could be a serious tendon injury.
Leeds United fans fuming at Daniel Farke after Pascal Struijk blow
Leeds fans on X have had plenty to say about the injury to Struijk, with a lot of anger aimed at Farke for not signing another centre-back in the summer and for playing Struijk in Leeds’ FA Cup win over Harrogate Town last time out.
“Struijk out, been here before, Farke was reluctant to hand out starts to the younger lads vs Harrogate, worked out well hasn’t it,” one fan posted. Another added: “It’s our promotion and his job on the line, not a time to sit back and say we’re happy with what we’ve got. Will we learn from previous failures?”
One angry Leeds supporter wrote: “This rests at Farke’s door, why did he play Struijk in a meaningless FA Cup game instead of resting him?”
A similar comment read: “If these clowns neglect this opportunity to bring in two possibly three new faces and blow another opportunity to get promoted they deserve everything they get.”
On Farke, one fan added: “Why did Farke risk him [Struijk] against Harrogate? Reminds of [Jesse] Marsch bringing on Rodrigo at Accrington when 3-0 up. Poor management.”
“It’s massive. Season defining injury. The most important player on the pitch. Hugely damaging if he misses extended time,” said another.
What Daniel Farke said about Pascal Struijk’s injury
Farke went into detail about Struijk’s injury, suggesting that an initial scan revealed a hamstring injury but that another scan is needed to see if there’s damage to the tendon.
Farke said: “There’s a small chance that the tendon is involved, right now it’s too difficult to judge. Once the fluid in the muscle has settled, we can rescan him in the middle of next week to get a better timeframe.
“If the tendon was involved, then it would be a significantly longer rehab for him, and we would not just be speaking about three weeks, but three months.”
Leeds’ game against Wednesday kicks off at 12pm on Sunday.
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