Willy Gnonto addresses Leeds United fears as he speaks out on ‘unlucky’ injury

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There are plenty of reasons for the Leeds United faithful to find themselves embroiled in ‘doom and gloom’ territory ahead of Saturday’s trip to Championship battlers Luton Town.

It was around this stage 12 months ago when the automatic promotion spots started to slip through Daniel Farke’s grasp.

A year on and in the midst of one win in five league matches, Leeds United appear to have started their almost-annual collapse a little earlier this time around. In late-Februrary, Opta gave Leeds a 95 per cent chance of securing promotion.

Now, after dropping valuable points against West Brom, Portsmouth, QPR and Swansea City to fall behind Yorkshire neighbours Sheffield United, confidence amongst a wounded Whites fanbase is dropping as quickly as those percentages.

The good news, however, is that there are still six games remaining and plenty of time yet to right the wrongs of recent weeks.

Willy Gnonto feeling ‘really good’ as he dispels Leeds United injury fears

Daniel Farke confirmed that Illan Meslier will be dropped at Kenilworth Road as the manager searches for a solution to Leeds’ malaise.

Farke is confident in Ao Tanaka, Brenden Aaronson and Junior Firpo getting back to their best, too, with the international break potentially coming at a very good time.

And with concerns over Willy Gnonto’s fitness dispelled during the manager’s press conference on Thursday afternoon – he is ‘ready to go’ despite an ankle issue suffered on Italy U21 duty – Leeds will have one of their more impressive performers of recent weeks ready to start a Championship game for the first time in 2025.

“I feel really good,” Gnonto tells the official Leeds website. “I think everyone just kind of needed this time off. We are ready to go again with energy and confidence.

“We know that every game from now is going to be difficult. Everyone is playing for something and obviously we know that we have a goal and we have to try everything to achieve it.

“Obviously, we want to win every game. We know that we are better than what we did on Saturday [against Swansea]. We are better than what we did in the last period.

“I am really excited because in the most important period, I am getting back to form. I am confident again. I feel good. I feel good with myself, with my body.

“It was just unlucky to pick up this kind of knock with the national team. But now I feel good and hopefully I will have some time to help the team.”

Gnonto impressed Farke when replacing Aaronson in that QPR draw, coming on at half-time and excelling in a somewhat unfamiliar number ten role. The former Inter Milan starlet then scored his first goal since the 7-0 thrashing of Cardiff City when rising off the bench once more versus Swansea.

Relegation-fighting Luton have actually won more games [three] than promotion-seeking Leeds [two] in their last six. Given Leeds’ struggles down south, and particularly in early kick-offs, a lunchtime match-up with a rejuvenated Hatters outfit is hardly what the doctor ordered.

Yet, with Gnonto slowing getting back to his electrifying best, breaking that early kick-off hoodoo remains a very real possibility.

“We know it is going to be a really tough game,” accepts Gnonto, a place in Farke’s XI potentially beckoning amidst a recent dip in form for both Dan James and Manor Solomon.

“[Luton] are playing not to get relegated, so they play for everything. But at the same time, we are playing to go up and we want to try our best.

“We know that it is going to be tough, but we can be as tough as they are, or we can be as confident as they are, and we are going to try to win the game.

“We know that [Swansea] wasn’t the best game for us. We wanted to do better but, obviously, it was not possible. But at the same time, we know that we have another chance to do better on Saturday and we want to take it.”