Leeds United will get a new era underway on Wednesday evening as Daniel Farke takes charge of his Whites for the very first time. Manchester United will be Leeds’ opponents, with the clash taking place in Oslo, three and a half weeks before the start of the new Championship season.
United have only been in pre-season training since the start of last week and Farke is expected to travel to Norway with a smaller squad, due to the staggered return of the Whites’ internationals. But, that means opportunities to impress will be handed out by the German in an attempt to see most of his squad in action.
With Illan Meslier and Kristoffer Klaesson returning late following their exploits in the U21 European Championships, Dani van den Heuvel looks likeliest to start between the sticks for the Whites. The Dutchman has been training with the senior ranks and while he has never made a competitive appearance at first-team level, he’ll be keen to make the most of any opportunity that falls his way.
Cody Drameh looks a decent bet to start at right-back following his promotion-winning exploits on loan at Luton Town last season, with Luke Ayling potentially set to feature as a centre-back. The Whites aren’t expected to travel with an abundance of centre-back options and Ayling, next to skipper Liam Cooper, might just the most obvious choice.
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There is a choice on the left side of defence, though, with Junior Firpo and Pascal Struijk both available to feature. Firpo is expected to leave the club at some point during the summer transfer window, though, and therefore it might make more sense to give Struijk the nod at left-back to get some much-needed minutes into him.
Marc Roca looks to be on the verge of a move away, meaning Leeds could travel to Norway without a senior, established centre-midfield option. However, Darko Gyabi could have a big role to play next season and he might get the chance to run out in the kit he could be seen modelling as part of the club’s release on Tuesday morning.
He could be joined by Archie Gray in the middle, reprising the midfield partnership that saw Leeds U21s to promotion over the second half of last season. The 17-year-old will undoubtedly have his eyes on a senior debut this season and a strong pre-season run-out might just see him seal a place in Farke’s thoughts.
Georginio Rutter looks set for a big campaign at Elland Road and he might feature on the wing, where it is hoped he can play his best stuff, while Sam Greenwood looks the most obvious option in the middle should Farke want a creator in the number 10 spot, playing behind the striker. Should he want more of a secondary striker, it seems Joe Gelhardt could be the option used.
On the left, options look limited given the injury situations of Luis Sinisterra and Jack Harrison. But, Mateo Joseph and Sonny Perkins are able to play there and one of them could take on that role, providing support for the lead striker, who may well be Patrick Bamford.
There will be changes throughout the course of the game and Farke will be keen to give game time as many players as he possibly can. But, Wednesday afternoon is also a chance for the German to put a few plans in place as he looks to make his mark as quickly as possible.
Possible starting XI: Dani van den Heuvel; Cody Drameh, Luke Ayling, Liam Cooper, Pascal Struijk; Darko Gyabi, Archie Gray; Georginio Rutter, Sam Greenwood, Mateo Joseph; Patrick Bamford.
