Daniel Farke has already mooted the possibility of changes to his Leeds United starting XI against Middlesbrough tonight.
The Whites are set to host one of their potential Championship promotion rivals at Elland Road in the first round of the Carabao Cup, a competition where coaches will always look to rotate their squad.
Leeds only got their season underway on Saturday but face a short turnaround from this evening’s match to Saturday lunchtime at West Bromwich Albion, and so it will be important to keep some players fresh.
Farke also has a number of players he may want to take a closer look at with a view to handing them a more prominent first team role in the league.
Joe Rothwell, Brenden Aaronson and Max Wober are three who fall under that category, but there are others too.
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Charlie Crew deserves to be handed Leeds debut vs Boro
Leeds’ midfield pairing is currently one of the most interesting conundrums facing Farke at the moment, particularly with a more attack-minded number eight on the radar in the transfer market.
Ethan Ampadu is a shoo-in to start every game in the league, but who partners him is the big question. Ilia Gruev was the man on Saturday, but he is better as a holding midfielder.
Rothwell looks a near certainty to start tonight to show what he can do, and there is a youngster in Farke’s ranks who also deserves a start – Charlie Crew.
Crew was on the bench a couple of times towards the end of last season and after being handed his senior Wales debut in June, Michael Bridges singled him out for praise in Leeds’ friendly win over Valencia.
Farke has already talked him up as someone they believe has high potential, and if he isn’t going to be handed a start in the first round of the cup, when is he going to get the chance?
With only a couple of weeks remaining of the window, the clock is also ticking for Leeds to bring in the three signings they need, midfield being one of them.
If for whatever reason they are unable to do so, the ‘special‘ Crew could well end up being needed over the course of the season.
There isn’t a better chance to show he is ready than tonight and given how he has shown himself in friendlies and on the training pitch, he has earned his opportunity.
Predicted Leeds XI to face Boro in Carabao Cup
While Farke has confirmed there will be rotation tonight, it is unlikely there will be wholesale changes given how early it is in the season.
Karl Darlow could well come in between the sticks, with Sam Byram and the aforementioned Wober both starting in defence. Junior Firpo and Pascal Struijk the two most likely to drop out.
Rothwell and Crew could form a new midfield partnership, with Joel Piroe, Aaronson and Patrick Bamford also coming into start.
That would mean Dan James, Joe Rodon and Jayden Bogle are the only three players to keep their places from the weekend.
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