Daniel Farke cut a frustrated figure at full-time of Leeds United’s draw against Manchester United, having watched his paper-thin squad fall short of victory.
Brenden Aaronson was the hero for Leeds once again in a battling draw against Man United, which saw Farke’s squad down to the bare bones.
Having lost influential captain Ethan Ampadu to suspension and forward-thinking full-back Jayden Bogle on the verge of the game, Leeds were an injury or two away from turning to 18-year-old Sam Chambers, who was named on the bench for the game.
Although Leeds could welcome back Jayden Bogle to face Newcastle United, Farke also confirmed three players are doubtful for the game, putting more pressure on his already stretched resources.
As a result, the 49ers cannot afford to take Leeds’ recent upturn in form for granted in the January transfer window.
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Daniel Farke admits his squad is stretched after Man United draw
Speaking to LUTV after the game, Farke admitted that he faced a “tricky” task in turning his Leeds side around in time to face Newcastle on Wednesday.
Although Farke is expecting to welcome Ampadu back for the game, he does not have many other options in the squad at his disposal should the likes of Sebastiaan Bornauw, James Justin and Ilia Gruev fail to recover in time for the game in the North East.
Farke said: “It’s tricky. Tricky and a quick turnaround. Again, just two days, not a game on the road. We have to find some solutions, so the good thing is that hopefully then Ethan Ampadu will be back fit.
“That will definitely help a bit to have our captain back. I’m not sure if there is a chance for one or two of the injured players, or at least Sean Longstaff, will have one or two more training days with us.
“It’s a tricky period, but sometimes you have such a period, and then you can’t complain.”
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The 49ers need to strengthen the Leeds United squad in January
Leeds’ bench for the game against Man Utd told a story, with Chambers named alongside the likes of Sam Byram and Jack Harrison, whose game time has been limited in recent weeks.
With both Bornauw and Justin doubtful for the trip to Newcastle, and no sign of Joe Rodon recovering to take his place in the Leeds backline, Farke may well be forced to turn to the veteran Byram against the Magpies.
This highlights two things – firstly, the size of Farke’s achievement in taking 11 points from seven games without some of his most influential players.
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Secondly, it shows that the 49ers cannot afford to take their eye off the ball in the January transfer window.
Byram has been a magnificent servant to Leeds, but is a back-up option, at best, in the Premier League. Although the January market is notoriously difficult to navigate, Farke’s Leeds squad is still two players short of being capable of competing in the middle of the top-flight table.
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