Daniel Farke and a smattering of Leeds United players are preparing for the home game against Swansea City this weekend. The rest of the squad will assemble later this week as they start returning from national duty. However, one player will feel an inch taller when he returns to Thorp Arch as he has defied expectations on the international stage.
Leeds United will be focused on ensuring that they secure automatic promotion to the Premier League as they approach the remaining eight games of the Championship season.
Farke has a set of players he trusts and he is unlikely to rotate much as he looks to push his players to get the best out of them at the business end of the campaign.
However, the international performance of one Leeds player could give the manager some food for thought and we could get to see more of him in the remaining games of the season.
‘I like him’ – international manager impressed by Leeds United man
Isaac Schmidt’s call-up to the Switzerland squad was a shock in itself given how little he has played for Leeds this season but he was expected to warm the bench for the Swiss as well.
However, he started and played 68 minutes in his debut for Switzerland and most importantly, he never looked out of place on the international stage for his national team.
Switzerland coach Murat Yakin was impressed with what he saw of Schmidt on his debut and admitted that it was a well-rounded performance by the Leeds defender.
“I really liked Isaac”, Yakin was quoted as saying by Swiss daily Blick.
“He was very agile, won practically all of his challenges, and also made a few offensive contributions.”
Will Daniel Farke trust him?
Leeds signed the full-back towards the end of last summer but he is still waiting for his first start in the Championship. He has played a grand total of 25 minutes of league football across seven substitute appearances.
His last league appearance came on 27th December and Farke has shown little faith in him even when he needed alternative full-backs in the Championship.
However, Schmidt is now a full international and is likely to play against Luxembourg on Tuesday as well in Switzerland colours.
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With eight games left in the season, the Leeds boss could need to rotate a bit to keep his players fresh for a final push and Schmidt’s performance is unlikely to go unnoticed.
The defender caught the eye when given an opportunity and Leeds could just have another player who could come in and do a job for the team at the business end of the campaign.
Schmidt has already credited Farke’s training sessions for getting his national team call-up and it remains to be seen whether the Leeds boss reciprocates.
