Leeds United defender Junior Firpo missed their pre-season friendly clash against Ajax with a ‘minor knock’, The Athletic’s Phil Hay has revealed.
The lowdown
Firpo signed for Leeds from Spanish side Barcelona in July, having made 41 appearances across a two-year spell at Camp Nou.
The 24-year-old moved to Leeds for a fee believed to be in the region of £12.8million, with the Yorkshire-based side looking to build on some strong performances in their first season back in the Premier League, after finishing ninth in the top-flight standings.
The defender didn’t feature in Leeds’ first pre-season friendly with Ajax on Wednesday afternoon, which would have hinted to the Elland Road faithful that he’d be involved in the second match in the evening.
But he wasn’t named in the match day squad for that match, which will have left Leeds United’s supporters puzzled over his exclusion from the team.
The latest
The Athletic’s Phil Hay revealed shortly before the game took place on Wednesday evening that Firpo was absent due to picking up a ‘minor knock’.
Leeds went on to lose that second game against Ajax 4-0, in a performance that certainly didn’t catch the eye of both Bielsa and the club’s supporters.
No time scale has been put on Firpo’s exact return date, although Hay stated that the full-back was only left out of the match against the Dutch side as a precaution.
Firpo missing from the Leeds squad – understood to be a minor knock. Left out as a precaution. #lufc
— Phil Hay (@PhilHay_) August 4, 2021
The verdict
It’s not ideal to have one of their newest recruits already nursing a potential injury concern heading into the new Premier League season.
Leeds supporters know all too well that injury issues can sometimes be worse than let on, with Adam Forshaw’s problems in recent years being a classic example of that.
Firpo could be an exciting signing for Leeds if he can perform consistently to high standard, with Guillem Balague claiming that the full-back is an ‘energetic’ full-back who had lost confidence before his move to Elland Road was confirmed.
Leeds will be hoping that Firpo can return to action at the earliest of opportunities, with their season opener against Manchester United on Saturday 14th August edging closer by the day.
About the Author
