Leeds United and Manchester United have one of the fiercest rivalries in English football, and there has been another twist to it over the course of this summer.
Manchester United parted ways with Ruben Amorim after the 0-0 draw at Elland Road in January, with Michael Carrick taking over shortly afterwards. Leeds then claimed their first league victory at Old Trafford in 45 years when they beat Carrick’s in-form side in April, a result that went a long way towards securing their Premier League survival.
The rivalry gained another subplot this summer when Manchester United signed Karl Darlow from Leeds. The Whites’ statement announcing his departure suggested they were not particularly pleased to see the goalkeeper move to their old rivals.
The two sides will now meet again in pre-season, with Wednesday’s clash in Dublin providing another opportunity for the rivalry to take centre stage.
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A Leeds United reunion on the cards
Karl Darlow surprised many when he rejected an offer to sign a new contract with Leeds and chose to join Manchester United on a free transfer.
He became the first Leeds player since Alan Smith to make a direct move from Elland Road to Old Trafford in more than 20 years.
A minor injury has prevented him from playing in pre-season for Manchester United thus far, but he is back in training ahead of the Leeds clash.
And the former White has been named in the Manchester United squad that will take on Leeds on Wednesday evening in Dublin.
There is more than a decent chance that he gets to play at some point in the game, and he is likely to get a very tasty reception from the Leeds fans at the stadium.
James Trafford could also make his debut for Leeds after completing a club-record move to Elland Road from Manchester City for £45m.
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Leeds United have upgraded on Karl Darlow massively
Karl Darlow played an important role in steadying things for Leeds United over the last two seasons.
He stepped in for Illan Meslier during the promotion run-in and helped make the defence more secure. He did something similar last season after Lucas Perri failed to fully convince, once again giving Leeds some much-needed stability between the posts.
But James Trafford is a different level altogether and, at 23, has plenty of time to develop into a top goalkeeper. With the England international on his way to Elland Road this summer, Daniel Farke was never in a position to promise Darlow a regular starting role.
Leeds have made a clear upgrade in goal this summer, and Trafford’s arrival means Darlow is unlikely to be missed.
