Leeds United meet Monaco in a pre-season friendly on Saturday afternoon in York, and we asked our club writer to choose the starting XI he would select
Some of the Leeds United players vying for minutes tomorrow will have completed their 19th day of pre-season and will undoubtedly notice a difference in their conditioning. Illan Meslier and Wilfried Gnonto, on the other hand, will only be on day four, but if they are fit, I would play them.
As uncertain as Meslier’s future may be, Leeds cannot afford to isolate and discard the Frenchman ahead of time. With no solid ties in the public domain, there is every possibility that the
Meslier must be handled as United’s number one stopper until a new stopper is added to the squad, with Daniel Farke easing him into his system. Charlie Cresswell and Max Wober did not play in the Manchester United friendly, but they both played behind closed doors last weekend at Barnsley.
They’d be starting alongside Cody Drameh and Liam Cooper in my strongest current backline on Saturday. It’s too obvious to shift Wober out there and accommodate the club captain inside him until a new left-back is brought in.
Ethan Ampadu would be a welcome addition to the midfield ranks, where the cupboard is severely lacking in experience as Tyler Adams recovers from injury. While the Wales international can also play defense, the squad’s current status necessitates his presence in midfield.
Archie Gray is always a tempting option, but Darko Gyabi, in my opinion, should play alongside Ampadu. If he can establish a solid foundation under Farke this summer, the 19-year-old is poised for a breakout year.
With no huge sales to speak of, Farke may experiment with his choices more in the front four. In Farke’s job interview, Georginio Rutter was viewed as an inside forward, but the more he sees of the Frenchman, the more he is tempted by him as a striker.
Rutter’s performance in Oslo showed enough potential for me to keep him in the center, while Luis Sinisterra should pick up where he left off on the left wing. The central offensive midfielder position is still up for grabs, but if Sinisterra is going to play left flank, why not give Gnonto a chance behind Rutter?
Based on his performance in Norway, Ian Poveda deserves major minutes off the bench, but Crysencio Summerville is tough to replace.
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