Leeds United are back in action this weekend as they are set to face West Ham for a place in the FA Cup semi-finals. It will be the Whites’ first game back from the international break ahead of their Premier League return.
Tuesday and Wednesday will round out the last fixtures among countries during this break. There are a lot of Leeds stars set to be involved, as Wales, Sweden and the USA are in action on Tuesday night.
Dominic Calvert-Lewin has been allowed to return to Elland Road after Thomas Tuchel sent some squad members back early for rest. Unfortunately for Daniel Farke, there could be one injury worry as Dan James is to be assessed by Wales. He was not able to complete the last game against Bosnia and will be evaluated according to Wales boss Craig Bellamy.
Leeds United star allowed to leave team camp due to reasons
Another Leeds United player who went into the break with injury concerns was Noah Okafor. The winger recently returned to action just days before the international break. His national team boss had initially ruled him out of action for the break, but ended up calling him as a late replacement. Okafor was an unused substitute against Germany, which raised eyebrows.
There were reports that the winger may have picked up a knock, but now that has been put to bed. The Swiss national team released a statement on social media officially confirming reasons for Granit Xhaka and Noah Okafor being left out of Tuesday’s clash with Norway.
“Granit Xhaka and Noah Okafor are not in the squad today. Both are returning from an injury; this is a precautionary measure. The decision was made in consultation between the players and the coaching staff,”
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Club will be hoping for no bad news
Dominic Calvert-Lewin played just 30 minutes and was allowed to report to Elland Road early after Friday’s game. So one of the club’s most important players will be fit for this weekend. It’s just unfortunate that Dan James could be injured once again. Switzerland made the right choice by not playing Okafor in the two games over the break, and rather allowing him to come back to Thorp Arch. He needs to be fresh for the rest of the campaign, where he can play well in the league and also fight for a place in the World Cup squad. There have been many injury scares for Daniel Farke during this break, and fans will be glad Okafor was not one of them.
