Leeds United manager Daniel Farke has confirmed that captain Ethan Ampadu has suffered an MCL injury following a grim tackle from Everton’s Tim Iroegbunam on Monday, ruling him out for at least two games.
United are preparing for a tough trip to the Emirates to face Arsenal on Saturday evening, looking to build on their winning start back in the Premier League.
Defensive solidity is going to be the core focus of Leeds’ performance away at the Gunners this weekend, but there will be a change to the unit from Monday night.
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Daniel Farke confirms Ethan Ampadu injury to rule him out of Leeds United’s next two games
One player that won’t be able to carry on their momentum at the Emirates is Ethan Ampadu, after the Leeds skipper’s knee injury against the Toffees.
A nasty late tackle forced the midfielder into treatment before carrying on for a further 20 minutes, then replaced by Ilia Gruev shortly before United found the opener.
(REUTERS/Scott Heppell)
Farke’s pre-match press conference confirmed that Ampadu will miss Leeds’ trip to North London, the EFL Cup meeting with Sheffield Wednesday, and the following fixture at home to Newcastle United, out until the international break:
Ethan Ampadu's confirmed MCL injury rules him out until the international break, so misses Arsenal and Newcastle United for sure.#LUFC
— Leeds All Over (@LeedsAllOver) August 21, 2025
“Bad news. He will be out at least until the international break. He’s a tough boy. He will miss the next three games including cup game,” Farke said, via LeedsLive.
“Not ideal. He’s out captain. Very important player. We will have to find some solutions.”
Could Daniel Farke shift to a back five to accommodate for Ethan Ampadu’s injury and Jaka Bijol’s Leeds United debut?
Losing your club captain for any amount of time is obviously a blow, but for Ampadu to suffer another knee issue after missing plenty of time last season due to a similar issue is even more infuriating.
It of course prompts Farke to make at least one change away at Arsenal as he won’t have Ampadu in the pivot anymore, but it could open up the possibility of a tactical tweak.
(REUTERS/Lee Smith)
While he’s got Ampadu out, Farke will have centre-back Jaka Bijol back and available for his Leeds debut after sitting out on Monday due to a frustrating suspension.
I wrote earlier this week that Farke bringing Bijol in for his debut at centre-back would harshly see one of Joe Rodon or Pascal Struijk dropped after imperious performances from the pair vs Everton, but the alternative is all three starting in a back five.
Given Arsenal’s striking resemblance to Tony Pulis’ Stoke City from a deal ball, it could be worth Leeds packing the penalty area with another towering centre-back in the following setup:
Perri; Rodon, Bijol, Struijk; Bogle, Tanaka, Stach, Gudmundsson; James, Nmecha, Gnonto.
There’s enough physicality in the side to compete with Arsenal’s imposing aerial threat, while having pace and athleticism in transition through the full-backs, midfielders and three runners up top.
Plenty of food for thought for Farke this Saturday…
Let me know your thoughts in the comments below!