Junior Firpo’s first 18 months as a Leeds United player were challenging, to say the very least. The left-back struggled to stay fit in his first season with the club, spending almost as much time on the sidelines as he did on the field as problem after problem cropped up.
That lack of consistency in the side seemed to make an understandably large dent in his form and as Leeds’ slumped towards the foot of the Premier League table, the frustration surrounding Firpo and his performances grew. Those injury problems spilled over into this season, too, ensuring the first half of his second year in West Yorkshire was just as exasperating for supporters.
The injury Firpo picked up in the club’s first pre-season clash with Blackpool saw him ruled out for the first month and when he returned to fitness, the form of Pascal Struijk in the left-back role ensured he was used sparingly. As such, at the turn of the year, it’s fair to say few could have seen the re-emergence of Firpo as the club’s first choice left-back coming.
