Leeds United were desperately close to sealing promotion to the Premier League in 2023/24, losing the play-off final to Southampton. Now after 27 games of the 2024/25 season, the Whites are leading the way in the Championship.
Leeds United beat Sheffield Wednesday 3-0 on Sunday, handing Daniel Farke’s side their first Championship win of 2025 after back-to-back draws to start the New Year.
It was a commanding win with Manor Solomon, Largie Ramazani, and Ao Tanaka all on the scoresheet. Sheffield United had taken the top spot after they beat Norwich City on Saturday, but Leeds are now back in 1st place of the Championship table after Sunday’s win.
And Farke’s side won the game without centre-back and vice-captain Pascal Struijk. Before the game, Farke revealed Struijk has a hamstring injury and could even face months on the sidelines if he’s done damage to his tendon, which is unclear at this stage.
Simon Grayson’s bold Pascal Struijk claim after failed promotion push
Speaking on LUTV after the game, former Leeds boss Simon Grayson was speaking about Struijk’s injury. Grayson then went on to say that he thinks Leeds would’ve earned automatic promotion last season if Struijk wasn’t injured for half of the campaign.
The Dutchman picked up a groin injury which kept him out from December all the way through to the pre-season. The 25-year-old racked up 24 Championship appearances last season, with 24 to his name in this 2024/25 campaign.
Grayson said: “I think if he’d been in the team last year, on a regular basis, I think we’d have gone straight up. No disrespect to the lads that were out there, but that leadership, the type of player that he is. So fingers crossed it’s short-term rather than a long-term injury.”
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Pascal Struijk injury update after Leeds United beat Sheffield Wednesday
Farke shared an injury update on Struijk after the win against Sheffield Wednesday, and it seems like it might lean towards being good news.
Struijk needs another scan before the full extent of his injury is revealed. But that can’t be done until the fluid has cleared in Struijk’s hamstring.
But Farke seems to believe that Struijk’s injury is pointing towards a three-week recovery instead of a three-month recovery that would come with a tendon injury.
The Leeds boss said: “We will have a scan in the middle of next week. We need to get rid of the fluid before. At the moment it looks to be more like three or four weeks.”
The Whites return to Championship action at home to Norwich City on Wednesday night.
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