The injury gods were not kind to Leeds United last weekend. What should have been a week of unbridled celebration with Wembley on the horizon, Chelsea awaiting, has instead been overshadowed by the brutal news coming out of Thorp Arch. Anton Stach and Joe Rodon are both likely to be absent until May with ankle injuries, Daniel James is out with an adductor strain and Jaka Bijol, Noah Okafor and Gabi Gudmundsson are all doubts for Old Trafford. It's a grim read. But adversity has a way of creating opportunity, and Daniel Farke now faces a situation that demands he turns to players who have spent much of this season on the periphery. The forgotten men of this squad may yet have a defining role to play.
The reliable go-to options will, of course, still be called upon. James Justin has been a model of consistency and versatility all season, he combined with Noah Okafor to set up Ao Tanaka's opener at the London Stadium and he'll continue to provide cover across the backline and at wing-back. Sebastiaan Bornauw, brought in from Wolfsburg in the summer, offers the kind of composed, physical presence that can fill gaps wherever they arise in a stretched defence. These are players Farke seems to trust implicitly, and with good reason. But you can't plug six holes with two players, and what comes next requires Farke to look a little further down the squad list.
Start with Ao Tanaka, because he's made the argument impossible to ignore. The 27-year-old delivered a standout display in the FA Cup quarter-final against West Ham, earning the man of the match. He scored, he dictated, he pressed, he tackled. Despite that, he has found starting opportunities difficult to come by this season, with just seven Premier League starts, a surprise to many supporters given his pivotal role in last season's Championship title-winning campaign. With Stach now facing weeks on the sideline with ligament damage, Tanaka's moment has arrived not as a reward but as a necessity. He's shown he belongs. Now he needs the run of games to prove it.
Sean Longstaff is another player who deserves more opportunities. The former Newcastle man has contributed a goal and two assists across 946 league minutes this season but has rarely been given a consistent run. He offers something different to the midfield, physicality, a knack for arriving late into the box, and a Premier League pedigree that shouldn't be overlooked in a relegation battle. It was surprising he didn’t get the nod to replace Stach last weekend, Farke, yet again turning to one of his favourites Aaronson instead. Willy Gnonto, too, has shown in patches that he can be the unpredictable spark this side sometimes lacks. His directness and ability to beat a man gives Farke an option he hasn't always utilised, and with the wide positions potentially looking thin with Okafor out, the Italian international may find himself with more minutes than he's been accustomed to this season.
And then there's the elephant in the room: Facundo Buonanotte. The Argentine loan signing from Brighton arrived in January trailing enormous expectation, but has played just 69 minutes since signing with Farke issuing what amounted to a fairly public challenge for him to prove himself. The honest assessment is that his chances of forcing his way into proceedings look slim, Farke is not a manager who easily changes his mind. The boss said this week that Buonanotte "has edged closer," acknowledging Gnonto is training well and that competition in those wide positions remains fierce. Perhaps the injury crisis gives him the chance fate hasn't yet provided. It would be one of the more extraordinary stories of the season if a player who has barely featured turned up at Wembley with something to say.
Spare a thought for Joel Piroe, though sympathy may be in short supply at Elland Road right now. The Dutchman finished last season as Leeds' and the Championship's top scorer with 19 goals in 46 league outings yet has scored just once in all competitions this season, never convincing Farke that he can make the step up. His West Ham cameo did nothing to change that narrative. He amassed just seven touches and completed only three passes during his time on the field Football before his penalty was easily saved by rookie West Ham goalkeeper Finlay Herrick Football. A bewildered-looking Piroe trudged off the pitch after his penalty shootout blushes were spared by his team-mates. Despite the injury issues, it's hard to see how he features meaningfully from here.
The coming weeks, starting tonight at Old Trafford, Wembley on April 26th, with Wolves and Bournemouth in between and the rest of the crucial run-in beyond will define this season. Farke has built something worth protecting this season, but right now he needs more than his favourites to see us over the line, he needs his whole squad. The players who have waited, trained, been told their time will come; Tanaka, Longstaff, Gnonto, are about to find out if Farke thinks they have what it takes when it actually matters.
