Fabian Delph has been speaking about Leeds United as his boyhood club prepare to take on another of his old sides Manchester City.
The man born in Bradford made 59 appearances for Leeds before a move to Aston Villa in 2009 – eventually leaving for Manchester City in 2015 where he racked up 89 appearances.
Delph expressed his love for Leeds when speaking to the official Man City website ahead of Saturday’s game at the Etihad Stadium – but suggested two players can do more to help Daniel Farke.
Fabian Delph predicts “long season” for Leeds United and calls on “good” strikers to step up
The 36-year-old seemed to suggest that Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Lukas Nmecha need to improve after Leeds slipped to 18th following a run of six defeats in seven Premier League games.
Without naming anybody directly, Delph says Leeds have “good” strikers in the team, but feels more goals are needed to “push the team forward” – suggesting he thinks they haven’t done enough so far.
Not exactly spoilt for choice…🤔
Dominic Calvert-Lewin replaces Lukas Nmecha during Leeds vs Newcastle
Photo by Robbie Jay Barratt – AMA/Getty Images
Leeds have only scored 11 goals in 12 Premier League games this season, one of which came from Calvert-Lewin whereas Nmecha has three.
Delph said: “It’s definitely been a difficult start for Leeds. To be honest, I don’t think it’s going to get any easier. The Premier League is an extremely tough league, and when you look at the fixtures they’ve got coming up it’s tough, but then you have a huge club with a huge fanbase who are going to be behind the players.
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“I think if the team can stay compact, be hard to beat, win the duels, win the individual battles then you’re giving yourself a chance this season.
“They have good centre-forwards in the team so there’s no reason why they can’t get some goals and help push the team forward, but it’s going to be a long season I believe.”
Joel Piroe is also an option at centre-forward for Farke, but can hardly do much to improve considering he has only been given 54 minutes of Premier League football since August.
Fabian Delph says Leeds United mean “everything” to him
Delph – who Archie Gray was likened to – left Leeds almost 20 years ago, but still carries the club in his heart after spending eight years at Elland Road.
The pressure is mounting on Daniel Farke⌛
Plymouth Argyle FC v Leeds United FC - Sky Bet Championship
Photo by Harry Trump/Getty Images
The Englishman added: “Leeds United means everything to me as a club, the place, the people.
“It was just an amazing time for me. I was there from the age of 10, 11 all the way to 18, 19. It’s where I learnt everything I needed to learn to become a professional footballer.
“I learnt a lot about myself too and it was just an unbelievable education with real supportive people who were there to cater to your needs and help push you and guide you forward. I had an amazing time at Leeds United and fond memories for sure.”
Delph did – however – refer to Manchester City as “we” during his interview, suggesting he is going to be emotionally torn when the two sides clash on Saturday.
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