Three Leeds players who staked Farke claim in Oslo friendly; £5m man and 19-year-old shine

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Leeds United were beaten 2-0 in their opening match of pre-season by Manchester United

The Whites were holding their Premier League opposition 0-0 at the break in what was Daniel Farke’s first game in charge at Elland Road, but were undone by two second half goals by Noam Emeran and Joe Hugill.

Farke made a raft of changes at the break with Cody Drameh the only player to play 90 minutes across both sides, which told in the second half as the intensity dropped.

Aside from honourable mentions for Lewis Bate and Mateo Joseph, the second half was somewhat of a lacklustre display.

Instead, it was the opening 45 minutes in which showed the signs or promise and as such, here are three who staked an early claim to Farke.

Georginio Rutter

Despite noises Farke will use him out wide this season, Georginio Rutter was tasked with leading the line but was made to feed off scraps for much of the game.

That said, on the few occasions he was able to pick the ball up in space, his ability to compose himself and release the ball at the right time was extremely promising.

Rutter created both of Leeds’ best openings in the first half through perfectly weighted passes and if he is to start out wide in the Championship, his ability to run at players will be a huge asset.

Darko Gyabi

Darko Gyabi is arguably the youngster attracting the most hype at Elland Road this summer and despite Leeds’ struggles for sustained possession in the first half, he looked a class above those alongside him.

On numerous occasions, Gyabi was able to turn his way out of danger through smart footwork, before then delivering a pass at the right time.

Put him in a midfield in which he is not the sole option for Leeds to play their way through midfield and he has all the attributes to thrive.

Leo Hjelde

Despite having only returned on Mondy, Leo Hjelde was thrown straight in from the start at left back with Junior Firpo having failed a fitness test before the game.

When in possession, Hjelde was tasked with inverting and playing centrally to provide Leeds with another option when playing out from the back, looking incredibly comfortable in doing so.

Although early days, he certainly proved he has what it takes to play a part this season, particularly given Leeds’ problems at left back in recent years.