Leeds United’s disappointing 1-0 defeat at Blackburn Rovers has been made slightly easier by the news of Ethan Ampadu’s return to training this week.
Ampadu has been out since September 28 after sustaining knee ligament damage in Leeds’ 3-0 victory over Coventry City at Elland Road.
Ao Tanaka and Joe Rothwell have both been brilliant in his absence but Leeds are always stronger with club captain Ampadu in the side.
Daniel Farke hailed Ampadu as Leeds‘ ‘most important’ player in his press conference on Thursday and even hinted he could go against his usual ethos by bringing him back into the side straight away.
Leeds’ away record since Ampadu got injured has been really poor and the extra solidity he brings to the midfield could be what they need to start picking up results regularly on the road again.
What Ampadu was doing in Leeds training
Naturally after 10 weeks out it is going to take Ampadu some time to get back to full match sharpness.
However, a full week at Thorp Arch without any midweek match distractions will have done him the world of good, with Farke even suggesting Ampadu had trained like he never left when discussing the current condition of the midfielder.
And those comments are certainly reflected by Leeds’ latest ‘Inside Training’ video on YouTube, with Ampadu very much at the forefront of it.
Ampadu was spotted leading all of Leeds’ warm-up drills and it is clear to see his captain presence has been missed during his time out.
More importantly, though, Ampadu seemed to show no signs of any rust or feeling like he needed to hold back when it came to some of the more intense drills.
Ampadu was moving around sharply and stretching for balls away from his body which can only mean he is feeling good mentally about his body.
Every word Farke said on Ampadu’s return
It may only be week one of Ampadu’s return to training but based purely on what Farke said about him, a place in the matchday squad could be as early as next week.
Here is every word Farke said about him on Thursday: “Some good news with Ethan Ampadu, he’s back in training now. Ilia Gruev’s rehab looks well. It would perhaps free up one of our other midfield players to use in a higher role. All is connected.
“It’s definitely good that he’s a bit 2-3 weeks ahead of schedule, already back in full team training. Testament to good work and professionalism. We still be a bit careful but Ethan’s for us and for me, not a normal player.
“He’s our captain and our most important player in the whole squad. Tempted to bring him back earlier. If we use him in the upcoming games, we’ll see. Gut feeling of myself and late decisions, depends who’s available.”
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