Daniel Farke has named his first Leeds United line-up as the club step up their Championship preparations this afternoon in Norway. The Whites are in Oslo to take on Manchester United at the Ullevaal Stadion in their first pre-season clash of the summer.
The German manager has only had a week with his players and this afternoon will be the first chance he has to see some of them in action. Unfortunately, the side he has been able to name isn’t likely to be anything close to the one that will line-up against Cardiff City on August 6.
Kristoffer Klaesson gets a run out between the sticks and he’ll be keen to impress after an encouraging performance for Norway U21s at the European U21 Championships last month. Leo Hjelde is also included in the starting XI despite only returning to pre-season training on Monday.
The defender will be fit, though, having been with Klaesson at the U21 Euros last month. Cody Drameh gets the nod at right-back, while it looks as though Liam Cooper and Jeremiah Mullen will be together in the heart of the defence.
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Darko Gyabi looks set to partner Jamie Shackleton in the middle of the park, while Sam Greenwood could line up in the number 10 role. Ian Poveda gets a rare run out in Leeds colours after returning to Thorp Arch following his loan at Blackpool last season, with the starting XI being completed by Luis Sinisterra and Georginio Rutter.
Dan James is included on the bench, while Patrick Bamford, Luke Ayling, Pascal Struijk and Joe Gelhardt are amongst the other most senior names included as subs.
Leeds United: Klaesson, Hjelde, Drameh, Cooper, Mullen, Gyabi, Shackleton, Greenwood, Poveda, Sinisterra, Rutter.
Bench: Van den Heuvel, Christy, Ayling, Struijk, Monteiro, Moore, Gray, James, Bate, Bamford, Perkins, Gelhardt, Joseph.
