According to The Athletic’s Phil Hay, Junior Firpo will be eliminated by the return of Pascal Struijk, who is set for Sunday’s match.
Junior Firpo made his first start for Leeds against Leicester, replacing the injured Struijk, but failed to impress. The Foxes constantly targeted Leeds’ left flank, with Firpo looking ‘lost’ as they cruised to a 2-0 win.
While discussing Leeds United’s left back position on The Phil Hay Show (10min 50sec, via MOT), Hay said:
“[Leicester] they were working on that side of the pitch, and the second goal was essentially about that. Get Firpo out of his position, attack his area, force [Diego] Llorente to go wide and then recycle the ball as quickly as possible to the other side of the area [for Harvey Barnes].
“You could see that goal over and over again because of the weakness there.
“A part of me feels sorry for Firpo because he can’t seem to have a stable career in the team. He seems lost. Tactically, he doesn’t look like he’s been able to get into shape. [in]… A big part of me thinks it’s not the answer.
“Struijk, from what I have been told, is very likely to be fit for the weekend. I believe 100% that he returns to the team. I think you have to.
“But Struijk is not a left back. I think that’s one area where the team is incomplete.”
Junior Firpo had a shaky first season at the club, but Pascal’s injury was his chance to seize the opportunity and start his career at Leeds. But after the uninspiring performance against Leicester, it will be difficult for Firpo to make his case.
Pascal Struijk is not a left back by trait, but he has done an extremely admirable job filling out the left side during injuries. He is expected to be back fit for this weekend’s game against Fulham and he is expected to reclaim his place in the starting XI.
Leeds United have had a terrible start to the season, with just two wins, and are currently 16th, level on points with 18th-place Wolves. Victor Orta and the hierarchy will need to address certain issues in the January transfer window if they are to have any chance of staying in the league, including the crisis-plagued left-back position.
