Junior Firpo and Pascal Struijk of Leeds United have both made social media hints about their availability for this afternoon’s match against Coventry City.
The left-sided defender duo was listed as doubtful for Coventry’s visit to Elland Road in Daniel Farke’s press conference injury update. Struijk was dealing with a new groin problem, and Firpo missed this week’s initial training session before making a comeback on Thursday.
Leeds was going to make last-minute decisions about the two, and although Farke was bullish about Firpo’s fitness, he was still the “biggest question mark” in relation to Struijk. “After the last game, we had some issues,” Farke remarked. “Junior missed the early part of this week due to some adductor strain, but he returned to training today. Pascal was having some difficulty with them. Depending on the body’s response, but I’m cautiously optimistic.
“The biggest unknown is Pascal, who was unable to workout even today. Though I would advise being cautiously optimistic, there is undoubtedly a chance, and he has to train for our final session tomorrow. This is his last chance to show whether or not he is available. We must adjust to the situation as it is.”
The dubious duo has now made social media allusions to potential involvement. On their own Instagram pages, Struijk and Firpo shared personalized matchday images. This is a customary match-day morning ritual for individuals who will be featured later in the day.
Leeds would have been worrisomely short on the left side of their defense if both had not been involved, so their inclusion would be a huge help. Max Wober’s knee injury will undoubtedly prevent him from playing against Coventry, and Farke has hinted that surgery might be required if there isn’t any improvement before then.
Firpo is expected to play, but Struijk’s absence would have probably resulted in alterations to the lineup at several places, with Ilia Gruev assuming his more natural defensive midfield role and Ethan Ampadu moving to center back. That would mean that Joe Rothwell or Ao Tanaka would enter beside him.
Dan James is currently rehabilitating from his back injury, while Manor Solomon is also sidelined due to a hamstring problem.