Leeds United head coach Daniel Farke was dealt yet another injury blow in the build-up to the 0-0 draw with Bristol City in the Championship on Saturday.
Largie Ramazani suffered an ankle injury in the win over Watford and is now set for a spell on the sidelines, joining Ethan Ampadu, Ilia Gruev, and Max Wober.
The Whites head coach opted to go with Wilfried Gnonto and Dan James on the wing against the Robins, and both missed a ‘big chance’ in the goalless draw.
Manor Solomon was brought off the bench in the second half of the game in an attempt to make a difference but the Tottenham Hotspur loanee struggled to make an impact.
Manor Solomon's recent struggles for Leeds
Since registering an assist on his debut for the Whites against Hull City, the Israel international has failed to record a goal or an assist in four appearances.
In 19 minutes off the bench against Bristol City, Solomon failed his only dribble attempt, did not register a shot on goal, and failed to create any chances for his teammates.
In his last four Championship outings for the West Yorkshire outfit, the Spurs loanee has scored zero goals and not created a single ‘big chance’ for his teammates.
Farke could move on from the struggling flop, however, by unleashing one of his other stars in a new role. Junior Firpo has thrived in an attacking role for his country and could be deployed further up the pitch, to make an impact on the wing ahead of Solomon in the pecking order.
Why Junior Firpo should be unleashed in a new role
Firstly, Sam Byram came in for the suspended Firpo against Bristol City and put in a fantastic performance at left-back in his place for Leeds.
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The English ace won 100% (7/7) of his duels in the game, making five tackles in total, and showcased his creative quality with two ‘big chances’ created, which shows that he can more than do a job in that position when needed.
Byram’s quality at left-back would allow Firpo to push up into a left wing position, where he has shown plenty of quality in the final third for the Dominican Republic.
Appearances
4
Goals
3
Assists
1
Key passes
15
Big chances created
2
As you can see in the table above, the former Barcelona man has produced four goal involvements in four appearances as a winger for his country in the 2024 CONCACAF Nations League this season.
Firpo has also racked up ten assists and created 16 ‘big chances’ in 30 starts as a left-back in the Championship since the start of last season, which shows that he does have the attacking quality to make an impact for Leeds at league level.
The £30k-per-week star, who was once dubbed “immense” by content creator Conor McGilligan, has shown that he can play as a forward at international level and Farke must now unleash him in a new role – in terms of his Leeds career – to move on from the struggling Solomon.
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