Leeds United fans have a lot to look forward to in this summer’s World Cup as they prepare for next season following their 14th-place finish in the Premier League in the 2025/26 campaign.
Gabriel Gudmundsson is the only Leeds player who has managed to play any meaningful minutes in the World Cup. However, Noah Okafor, Brenden Aaronson and Ao Tanaka are expected to make an impact in the coming weeks.
Leeds fans also have one eye on Marcelo Bielsa’s Uruguay, and have not taken to Joe Cole’s unwarranted attack on the beloved ex-Whites boss during the tournament.
The Whites supporters will also keep tabs on Jesse Marsch’s Canada side. However, there is one more Leeds boss who is in action during the World Cup.
Thomas Christiansen suffers late heartbreak with Panama
Leeds fans won’t have fond memories of Thomas Christiansen and his time as manager at Elland Road. He was Andrea Radrizzani’s first managerial appointment in the summer of 2017.
However, he didn’t last a season at Leeds and was sacked in February 2018, following a poor run with the Whites, 10th in the Championship table.
The Spaniard won just 13 of his 30 Championship games, losing 12 and drawing five games. He was not good enough to continue at Elland Road.
However, Christiansen has renewed his managerial career at the international level and has led Panama to qualify for the World Cup.
However, his first World Cup game as manager ended in heartbreak as Panama conceded a late goal in a 1-0 defeat against Ghana on Wednesday night.
Reaching the knockout rounds with Panama would be a huge achievement. However, his side now need results in their last two group games to have a chance of playing in the last 32.
The manager before Marcelo Bielsa
When Thomas Christiansen took charge of Leeds, there was a belief he could carry on the progress made under Garry Monk and take the club forward.
However, he will forever be remembered as the last permanent manager before Marcelo Bielsa arrived in the summer of 2018.
Bielsa brought in a handful of additions, but the core of the squad available to Christiansen was largely the same group of players that went on to secure promotion to the Premier League just two years later.
The former Barcelona star was not bad, and he did a lot better than some of the other managers Leeds had before him. However, he preceded Bielsa at Elland Road, and that may remain his legacy.
Leeds fans would be pleased to see that Christiansen has rekindled his career on the international stage with an unfancied national side such as Panama.
