For many other Championship clubs, a blow like the one suffered by Daniel Farke’s Leeds United this week would be pretty disastrous for their hopes of a successful run-in.
Ethan Ampadu picked up a cartilage issue in his knee before Monday’s 3-1 triumph at title rivals Sheffield United.
And while it has now been confirmed that Ampadu will not require surgery, Daniel Farke admits that Leeds’ captain is touch-and-go for the final stretch of a gruelling campaign.
At the very least, it will be a month before Ampadu is back in team training. Farke suggests that a return to the pitch is most likely to occur in mid-to-late April. Though concerns of a set-back mean the Leeds United boss is unwilling to rate Ampadu’s chances of playing again this term any higher than 50 per cent.
Leeds have lost Max Wober until after the March international break already.
As such, Farke has only two natural, senior centre-halves at his disposal ahead of Saturday’s lunchtime kick off against West Bromwich Albion at Elland Road. Fortunately, a pairing of Joe Rodon and Pascal Struijk is one most second-tier managers would bite your hand off for.
Yet, should either Rodon or Struijk join Ampadu and Wober in the treatment room for any particular reason, Farke will have to get creative.
Daniel Farke open to trying Sam Byram at centre-back for Leeds United
Experienced enforcer Joshua Guilavogui impressed against Harrogate Town in the FA Cup at centre-half. But, versus nippy Championship-level forwards, it is not difficult to imagine the 34-year-old struggling to keep the pace.
Guilavogui looked like a bit of an old banger against Millwall’s souped-up youngsters a few weeks back.
Farke believes that Sam Byram could do a job in a centre-back role if required. That is despite the fact that the homegrown fans’ favourite has played as a centre-half only six times in 308 career games.
The last time Byram played in the middle of a backline, he was part of a Norwich City side beaten by this weekend’s opponents West Brom at the Hawthorns back in April 2023.
Byram has never featured as a centre-back across two spells as a Leeds player.
“We have Guilavogui, who is an option [to take the place of Ampadu or Wober]. Byram is an option, [Ilya] Gruev has played in the centre-back role for Bulgaria,” Farke muses.
“It depends what we need.”
Farke hopes Max Wober will be back in a few weeks
Gruev is, perhaps, the best of the possible solutions. He is more mobile than either Byram or Guilavogui, certainly, while also possessing the passing range to aid Leeds’ build-up from the back.
Farke, however, is simply praying that Leeds will not need to resort to forcing square pegs into round holes. After the West Brom clash, only Portsmouth appear on the fixture list before the international break allows Wober the chance to build up his fitness ahead of the run-in.
“For the moment, we have Pascal and Joe [as our central defensive options],” the former Norwich boss adds. “Hopefully, Max will be back after the international break.
“We have a busy final week before the international break. Afterwards, we have a bit more time. The international break will help with recovery.”
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