Leeds United have the chance to move back into the automatic promotion places this evening as they travel to take on Millwall in the Championship.
Sheffield United’s win on Tuesday night pushed the Whites back down to third place but claiming all three points at The Den tonight would put them back into second place.
Daniel Farke’s side have only lost one of their opening 13 matches in the division and will be hoping to continue their strong start to the campaign against Millwall.
The West Yorkshire outfit secured all three points in comfortable fashion in their last outing in the Championship against Plymouth Argyle at Elland Road last weekend.
They won 3-0 and all three goals came in the first-half for Leeds, thanks to strikes from Joel Piroe, Brenden Aaronson, and Dan James against Wayne Rooney’s side.
After missing out on promotion via the play-offs in the 2023/24 campaign, Leeds and Farke will surely be desperate to go one better and go up by finishing inside the top two this time around.
Keeping their best players fit will be one of the biggest priorities, after long-term injuries to Ethan Ampadu and Ilia Gruev, and James is one star who needs to be managed carefully.
Dan James' current injury status
The Wales international recently missed six matches with a hamstring injury and was sidelined for more than a month before his return on the 16th October.
Yorkshire Evening Post reported earlier this week that James had to sit out of a training session last week to deal with his seemingly ongoing issue with his hamstring, but he was then able to take part in sessions on Thursday and Friday before starting against Plymouth.
Journalist Graham Smyth stated in the build-up to this clash with Millwall that keeping James fit feels “vital” for the Whites this season, which is why the situation needs to be managed carefully.
With a three-game week before the last international break of the year, Farke may just need to manage his minutes and not overload the winger with starts in all three games.
Leeds host Queens Park Rangers at Elland Road in the third game of the week on Saturday and it could be too much of a strain on the forward’s hamstring, given how recently and how long he was out for, to start all three matches.
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Therefore, the German head coach should drop the electric whiz from the starting XI in order to avoid a fresh setback with his fitness ahead of the busy winter schedule.
Dropping Dan James could be a blow
Of course, it must also be said that dropping James from the line-up could be a blow for the Whites because of the qualities he can provide out wide.
But what Farke will be weighing up is whether it is worth the risk of putting him in for Wednesday night’s game and then Saturday’s clash with QPR, and seeing him pull up and then miss multiple more games with another hamstring injury.
James scored the opening goal against Plymouth last time out with a thunderous strike, under pressure from defenders closing out on him, from the edge of the box.
That was his second goal in five starts in what has been a disrupted Championship campaign for the former Manchester United man this term.
There is more to come from the 26-year-old star than he has shown so far this season, as his performances in the 2023/24 campaign prove that he can be a consistent threat at this level.
Appearances
40
Starts
28
Goals
13
Big chances created
13
Assists
7
As you can see in the table above, James contributed with a staggering 26 goals and ‘big chances’ created combined in just 28 league starts for the Whites.
The fleet-footed Welshman provided a constant threat down the flanks with his ability to score and create goals for the team week-in-week-out, which helped Leeds to finish third in the division and reach the play-off final.
These statistics, and his fantastic goal against Plymouth, illustrate how much of a loss it is when he is unavailable and that is another reason why he should be dropped tonight, to ensure his workload is not too much in a three-game week.
The Leeds star who should replace Dan James
Dropping James out of the starting line-up would, of course, open the door for another player to step in and stake a claim for their place in the team moving forward.
With Largie Ramazani currently missing through injury, Manor Solomon is the only first-team, senior, wide option available to the German head coach and must finally be unleashed in his place, after being a substitute for the last four games.
The Tottenham Hotspur loanee came on for the final 24 minutes against Plymouth and caught the eye, completing all four of his attempted dribbles and winning eight of his nine duels.
It has not been the easiest of starts to his career at Elland Road for Solomon, however, as the winger has gone five matches without a goal or an assist in the Championship.
The Israel international did, though, catch the eye in his debut for the club against Hull at Elland Road at the end of August. Journalist Adam Pope described him as being on a “different level” and hailed his performance as “fantastic”.
Sofascore rating
7.7
Key passes
2
Big chances created
1
Assists
1
Dribbles completed
2/4
As you can see in the table above, Solomon provided a direct and creative threat down the flank for the Whites and provided an assist in the 2-0 win.
The Spurs loanee burst down the wing on the left and produced a superb cross to the front post for Mateo Joseph to prod the ball into the back of the net.
Farke must now unleash the 25-year-old whiz from the start this evening, to rest James, and hope that he can follow on from his stylish cameo against Plymouth and end his run of games without a goal contribution.
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1 ByDan Emery