Forty-eight hours stand between Leeds United and their first pre-season friendly of the summer. Last week's confirmation Blackpool will visit York for the opener has quickly put a timescale on Jesse Marsch’s preparations for the coming season.
With the training underway at Thorp Arch, we will rapidly be into the friendlies and then Wolverhampton Wanderers will be at Elland Road in no time. Every friendly counts and with just about everyone already back in West Yorkshire, Marsch’s attention will turn to who he uses on Thursday.
The second tranche of players returned for pre-season on July 4 and after a first day of testing will only have two Thorp Arch days behind them when Blackpool arrive. Assuming Marsch focuses on those players with a lot more training in their legs, those who returned on June 27, we have the makings of our first XI of the summer.
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The squad's main goalkeepers only returned to Leeds on Monday, so Illan Meslier looks the safest bet for the Blackpool match. Right-back could boil down to Cody Drameh or Jamie Shackleton.
The pair have every chance of spending the season away from Leeds in order to play more football, but the former may just have the edge after his season with Cardiff City. Robin Koch and Pascal Struijk should be nailed on as the two central defenders given Liam Cooper and Diego Llorente only got going on Monday.
Junior Firpo is currently the only fit, senior, natural left-back in the squad. Leif Davis has an outside chance of sticking around next season as a back-up, but should be behind Firpo in York.
The public should get their first sight of Marc Roca in Leeds colours when the Tangerines arrive in Yorkshire. The Spaniard looks a good bet to play in the double pivot of the 4-2-3-1 we saw from Marsch last season.
Lewis Bate or Sam Greenwood seemed like the logical bets to play alongside him based on who was back in the first group of returners, especially as Adam Forshaw was not spotted initially. However, Forshaw is understood to have trained well recently and could well get a run out on Thursday.
Crysencio Summerville should get his first taste of Leeds action since the April trip to Watford. Ian Poveda is the alternative on the right of the attacking midfielders, but he is likely to be behind Summerville in the pecking order based on last season’s loan away.
Jack Harrison looks guaranteed to begin on the left with no real competition from last week’s returners. Rodrigo and Patrick Bamford’s status should mean they start as the central attacking threats. Tyler Roberts and Joe Gelhardt will be looking for minutes, but the pair from the leadership council look well placed.
Possible XI: Meslier; Drameh, Koch, Struijk, Firpo; Roca, Forshaw; Summerville, Rodrigo, Harrison; Bamford.
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