As debut campaigns go, Junior Firpo’s first at Leeds United wasn’t spectacular. The left-back arrived from Barcelona for £13million last summer but, much through no fault of his own, failed to pick up consistent minutes and struggled with the adaptation to the Premier League as a result.
A combination of an early positive Covid test in August and then a couple of injuries split the left-back's campaign up and halted any chance at a full season of football. Those minutes were exactly what he needed, having spent two seasons as a back-up to Jordi Alba at the Nou Camp.
The 25-year-old was often exposed in Marcelo Bielsa’s man-marking system too, leaving him to defend one-v-one in situations he simply wasn’t sharp enough - mentally or physically - to cope with.
