Leeds United are set to begin preparations for the start of the new Championship season with a severely depleted squad. The Whites are due to begin pre-season at the start of July and they will have just one month to get ready for the opening game of the season, which is scheduled to take place during the first weekend of August.
As such, pre-season will be shorter than usual for the Whites and they could probably do without the knock-on effects of the international calendar. A total of 12 Leeds players will be international action in some capacity over the next few weeks and it seems likely that most, if not all, will be given extra time to rest and recuperate before returning to Thorp Arch.
Of those on international duty, six will be involved in the 2023 European Under-21 Championships, which kicks off in Romania and Georgia next week. Every player, including Charlie Cresswell (England), Crysencio Summerville (Netherlands), Illan Meslier (France), Wilfried Gnonto (Italy), Kristoffer Klaesson and Leo Hjelde (both Norway), will have high hopes of going deep into the competition.
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Unfortunately, though, the group stages aren’t due to conclude until June 28 and the final will be held on July 8, eating into the first week of Leeds’ pre-season. All of the above names may be keen to return to training in time to make an impression on the new head coach on the training ground, though, particularly Cresswell, Klaesson and Hjelde who will have high hopes of kicking on to become regulars in the side.
Brenden Aaronson could have found himself in the same boat, with America in both Nations League and Gold Cup action this summer. Fortunately, though, the US have named a squad mostly made up of players based stateside for the Gold Cup, meaning Aaronson will only feature in the Nations League, which gets underway on Thursday with America meeting Mexico in Las Vegas.
Max Wober, Rasmus Kristensen, Liam Cooper, Rodrigo and Dan James are also away with their respective nations at present and it seems standard to expect them to be given a little longer to recover.
Leeds are yet to confirm their full pre-season schedule, but they will be in action on July 12 against Manchester United at the Ullevaal Stadium in Oslo. Given the circumstances, fans shouldn’t be surprised to see Leeds travel to Scandinavia without any of their internationals.
A full schedule is expected to be released sooner rather than later with a tour looking increasingly unlikely.
