It comes around quickly, doesn’t it? Leeds United will be kicking off their Championship season in three and a half weeks’ time and they’ll be taking their pre-season preparations up a notch on Wednesday when they take to the field for their first pre-season friendly of the summer.
Manchester United will be their opponents in Olso, with the game being played in front of the Whites’ large Scandinavian support and for Daniel Farke it will be his first chance to see his players in action. Of course, the German manager will be travelling to Norway with a smaller squad, made up of those who returned to pre-season training last week.
That means Leeds will be without some of their bigger, more high-profile names against the Red Devils, but Farke will be keen to hand out chances to impress to several of his younger players as the new campaign nears. Darko Gyabi will be one player being watched closely by the new manager.
Gyabi is expected to step up to the first-team ranks this season after playing a leading role in the Under-21s’ promotion-winning campaign last time around. The 19-year-old needs senior minutes in order to continue his progression and there’s a high chance he could get them at Elland Road, should he catch the eye over the next few weeks.
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With Marc Roca on his way out and Tyler Adams injured, the Whites are short on senior faces to play in the middle of the park against the Red Devils and Gyabi should get a chance to show what he can do on the first-team stage. The same can be said of Archie Gray, who is another hoping to get senior minutes under his belt over the coming season.
There’s no rush with Gray, given he is still only 17, but the excitement continues to build around his talent and potential. He was included on last season’s pre-season tour of Australia and while he is still waiting to make a competitive debut for the Whites, he could be set to feature in the middle of the park against Man United.
Impress against them and there’s a good chance he could be in included against Monaco, too, next week. Dani van den Heuvel could well be the most senior goalkeeper included in the squad and while he probably won’t be in the frame to start the first league game against Cardiff City, performing well in Oslo will do him no harm at all.
Cody Drameh could be given the nod at right-back, it seems. With Leeds being short of established centre-back options, Luke Ayling can be considered an option there and that would allow Drameh to step in on the right and stake his claim.
The 21-year-old deserves a shot at the spot after catching the eye on loan in the Championship over the last two seasons with Cardiff City and Luton Town. He needs game time this season and Farke has shown that he is more than willing to put his faith in youngsters, should they have the talent.
Drameh clearly has that talent and if he can make a point over the next three weeks, he could be in line to start against his old club on August 6. Sonny Perkins could also get the nod against Manchester United given recognised wingers in the travelling squad are few and far between.
Joe Gelhardt knows he is approaching the biggest year of his career so far as he looks to draw a line under what was a difficult campaign last time around and kick on. He’ll get more than likely get minutes in Norway and he’ll be determined to use them to his advantage.
Despite the obvious rivalry that exists between the two clubs, the result in Norway matters little in the grand scheme of things. Leeds will be focused on using the clash as an exercise in order to help their squad towards match fitness.
But, players can use the game to make an impression on Farke, who will be watching on with interest as he learns more about his players.
