Leeds United manager Daniel Farke has said illness means mainstay Ethan Ampadu is a big doubt for the midweek clash with Sunderland.
Leeds United have seen Ampadu emerge as one of their most important players since signing him from Chelsea last summer. The 23-year-old has played every minute of every Championship game thus far.
After holding down a starting spot in defensive midfield, he’s dropped into the backline and assumed the captaincy in Pascal Struijk’s absence. Alongside Joe Rodon, Ampadu has formed one of the league’s best backlines and has looked undroppable in the process.
However, Farke may have no choice but to drop him against Sunderland on Tuesday night.
The manager confirmed pre-game that Ampadu has been struggling with illness in recent days and has not trained ahead of the Black Cats clash. It leaves him as a big doubt for the important tie, in which Leeds United will bid to return to winning ways following their loss to Coventry City at the weekend.
It leaves Farke with a serious selection headache, and it will come down to one question. Who starts in his place?
Cooper or Cresswell?
With Struijk still sidelined, either Liam Cooper or Charlie Cresswell will start if Ampadu is unavailable.
Whoever is named will have Joe Rodon alongside them, but neither Cooper or Cresswell have enjoyed their best seasons. 31-year-old Cooper is club captain and has played 18 times across all competitions but the Whites have, more often than not, looked shakier with him in the backline.
That would lead many to call for Cresswell to play. He’s considered as a great centre-back prospect and has found success at this level with Millwall before but has barely played under Farke, with only five league appearances to his name.
In terms of backing a young talent who has endured a challenging season, bringing in Cresswell would be a brave call. It would be a real statement of Farke’s belief in him though after some tough moments in his campaign, being left out completely amid questions over his mentality.
As club captain, Cooper would replace the leadership lost by Ampadu if the latter is absent. Nervy moments for him on-pitch will have some doubting if he’s the best option to come in though.
There’s no hiding that Farke has a big decision ahead of him if their mainstay star is absent. However, handing Cresswell a rare start is a bold call that the Leeds United boss must weigh up.
About The Author
Leave a Reply