Given the lengthening injury list, Graham Smyth has speculated that Charlie Cresswell might start for Leeds United on Wednesday night when the Whites host Swansea City at Elland Road.
Pascal Struijk did not play in Friday’s 2-1 victory over Plymouth; instead, he was a substitute. It comes after he had to undergo surgery to repair his hernia because he had been playing in pain in previous games.
Considering how little time he played against Stoke, Daniel Farke probably had no intention of using him. He only entered the game when captain Liam Cooper sustained a hamstring strain. Naturally, Joe Rodon will go first.
Who, though, is his partner? It appears that Cooper is virtually certainly out of the picture, and it will be interesting to see if Farke thinks Struijk is prepared for ninety minutes. He was taken aback by the speed at which Struijk came back.
It’s possible, though, that Farke does not want to put Struijk in danger before Saturday’s pivotal matchup with Michael Carrick’s Middlesbrough. Cresswell could lead, according to Smyth’s latest article in the YEP.
“Cresswell might find himself in the starting lineup against Swansea in the middle of the week if Cooper gets into any more trouble—he went off holding the back of his leg—and Struijk isn’t quite ready to start.”
Charlie Cresswell may start against Swansea, according to Graham Smyth.
It has forced the defender to wait. On August 12, he made his final and only League start of the year in a 1-0 loss to Birmingham City. Our campaign’s second league match. In the Cup, he was the first.
That obviously didn’t convince Farke, though. Cooper is first in reserve, followed by Rodon and Struijk as first choices, and Cresswell as fourth. The £4 million defender, though, might be needed against Swansea.
