FOUR LEEDS UNITED PRE-SEASON SURPRISES HAVE SET THE TONE UNDER DANIEL FARKE FOR 24/25

Four surprises in Leeds United’s first week of pre-season have set the tone for the campaign ahead under Daniel Farke. Virtually every contracted senior player who played a part last season was in from day one on Tuesday.

In recent years, the Whites have used the Carnegie School of Sport at Leeds Beckett University for their first few days of testing in pre-season. However, the squad has been stationed at Thorp Arch from the get-go in 2024.

In a heavily renovated gym, complete with a newly added Red Bull fridge, the club’s medical and performance staff have been welcoming back the players with various tests. The dreaded bleep test has followed outside on the pitches, but there are more players involved than outsiders may have anticipated.

READ MORE: Leeds United scriptwriters denied Hollywood ending with Gray legacy nobody dreamt after Bielsa call

It is very rare for an entire Premier League or Championship squad to reconvene for pre-season on the same day because of their international commitments. Invariably, at least a handful of players’ seasons will be extended by playing for their countries and their return dates are subsequently knocked back by a week or so.

There were fewer international call-ups than usual after the play-off final for Leeds, but a quartet of names were expected to be given more time off. Ethan Ampadu, Daniel James and Charlie Crew were with the Wales squad that played as recently as June 9.

That means they had three weeks and two days between that friendly and the first day back at Thorp Arch. Junior Firpo flew even further away and played for the Dominican Republic as late as June 12, giving him a fraction less than three weeks off.

By contrast, the likes of Illan Meslier, Joel Piroe and others without call-ups had more than five weeks rest since the play-off final at Wembley. LeedsLive understands it was a mutual decision between the players and Farke to bring them back with less rest than some of their team-mates.

Farke has made no secret of his belief hard work is the answer to many problems in football, while the players were also itching to get back and begin their pre-season programmes after such disappointment at Wembley. Joe Rodon, Diego Llorente, Brenden Aaronson, Rasmus Kristensen and Max Wober are the only senior names not yet spotted in club coverage of pre-season.

Rodon was in the USA when his transfer from Tottenham Hotspur was confirmed on Tuesday, while Llorente is expected to seal a move away from the Whites this summer. The other three have been involved in tournaments with their national teams.

2024-07-04T12:44:36Z dg43tfdfdgfd