Max Wober spent most of the first few months of the season at Leeds United either on the bench or on the treatment table. He picked up a knee injury on international duty and it severely affected his chances of getting game time at Elland Road. He made just two substitute appearances until recently but an injury to Junior Firpo has thrown him a lifeline to save his career as a Leeds player.
Wober had to wait until November to make his league appearance this season when he came on for six minutes in Leeds’ 4-3 win over Swansea City at the Liberty Stadium.
He made another substitute appearance in the next game against Luton Town before remaining an unused option on the bench in the defeat against Blackburn Rovers away from home.
However, Firpo’s hamstring injury after 20 minutes against Derby County last weekend threw a lifeline towards Wober and the Austrian came on in place of the Dominican to slot in the left-back position.
He grabbed his chance with both hands by also scoring in the 2-0 win over Derby before getting his first league start of the season in the 3-1 win over Middlesbrough at Elland Road earlier this week.
There is life left in Max Wober and his Leeds career
Wober spent last season on loan at Borussia Monchengladbach and the Geman club were keen to sign him on a permanent deal last summer. However, they could not agree with the Whites and the defender stayed at Elland Road.
Initially, it appeared that Farke had no plans for the Austrian as he was not getting into the game and there was a feeling that the plan was to sell the centre-back last summer.
However, Wober never complained and insisted that he was happy to wait for his chance at Leeds this season. It seems the defender’s perseverance has paid off.
Firpo’s unfortunate injury has gotten the Austrian into the team and it seems he is set to get an extended run of games after impressing against Derby and Middlesbrough.
He is not a natural left-back but Wober is unlikely to get a game at centre-back, especially following Ethan Ampadu’s return from injury this week.
The sample size is small but his numbers against Middlesbrough, his only league start thus far, suggest he is going to provide a secure option to Farke in the coming weeks.
His passing was a bit wobbly, compared to his 82 percent completion rate against Derby, but he was defensively far more robust. Wober won three aerial duels, had three successive tackles and intercepted the ball expertly, which showed his ability to read the game well.
Wober also looked solid in attack and had three attempts while completing one dribble. While it is hard to read too much into one game, Middlesbrough are a top Championship team and the Austrian did show up well.
The Austrian will face stiffer tests but for now, he has earned the right to get a run of games with Firpo out with a hamstring injury.
Leeds should ignore the interest in him from Austria
Wober’s lack of game time earlier in the season sparked rumours of a move away from Leeds in January. Red Bull Salzburg are interested in securing a deal to take Wober back to his homeland.
Leeds are also part of the Red Bull network now after the energy drink giants became minority owners of the club last year and there are claims that a deal could be on the cards for Wober to move to Salzburg.
However, the Whites should steer clear of letting the defender leave the club in the winter window. Leeds cannot afford to weaken his squad and a player fo Wober’s experience and ability would be hard to replace.
The Austrian is an international defender who can provide valuable cover at both centre-back and left-back and has already shown his value this season.
It would be more valuable for Leeds to get his help to return to the Premier League than to earn a fee from his sale in the winter window.
