BREAKING..LEEDS UNITED coach DANIEL FARKE under fire and may be sacked because....

Leeds United manager Daniel Farke is likely to be without Junior Firpo for the trip to Watford next Friday due to his international commitments.

Leeds are not in action this weekend as the international break takes centre stage, and with that, there are multiple who have left Thorp Arch to represent their countries.

Junior Firpo is one of them for the first time since joining Leeds, heading out to join the Dominican Republic camp.

With Firpo heading across the Atlantic for two matches against Aruba and Peru, he’s going to be in a race against time to be back for Leeds’ Easter schedule against Watford and Hull City.

The fact that he plays away at Peru on Wednesday, the Good Friday clash at Watford is going to come too soon for him, it seems, according to The Athletic’s Phil Hay.

He said this on The Square Ball podcast:

“Leeds have the momentum and the impetus. Farke is probably the one of the three managers at the top who is the least happy about this break coming around. I think he can see the value of having a breather and I think it will be good for Leeds to be able to draw breath, but you don’t genuinely choose to take a bit of respite when you don’t need it, which Leeds don’t at the moment.

“I think the reason why it’s not the big help that it could be is because a lot of players will be away and a lot of players will play during it. He won’t get much in the way of full training sessions with the squad. I don’t think it handicaps Leeds massively that they won’t necessarily be able to do a huge amount of preparation for Watford away, but as Farke said, it’s likely Firpo will miss that game.

“He’s going to be away with the Dominican Republic and I don’t think he’s due back until that Friday, certainly that’s what Farke was saying. That means a change to that position in the team and, whether you rate Firpo or want him at left-back or whatever else, the results speak for themselves. The team as it is at the moment is really settled and is going along nicely.”

With that, Leeds are going to have the left-back out of action for a tough trip to Vicarage Road, who were back to winning ways last time away at Birmingham City.

Leeds’ performances in 2024 have been remarkable and down to a number of factors, but one of the core bonuses in possession has been Firpo’s presence on the left wing, notching five assists in just 12 starts during the 13-game unbeaten run.

Sam Byram is going to have to replace Firpo for this game, and while the free signing has been very reliable for us, it’s a downgrade in possession for sure.

The fact that Byram is right-footed sets him back immediately in trying to offer what Firpo does when getting to the by-line beyond Crysencio Summerville, and it’s summed up in the four assists’ difference between the two.

It forces Summerville to have more importance out wide than he has done recently, which might be a worry given that every team is doubling and sometimes tripling up on the Dutchman.