Leeds United
When Leeds United signed 10 new players in the summer, the battle for places in the team was anticipated. Many knew that the players who starred in the promotion run were not guaranteed a place in the first team.
And it was quite evident from the first few games of the season; Joel Piroe was moved to the bench in favour of Lukas Nmecha and Dominic Calvert-Lewin. Lucas Perri came in immediately and became the number one goalkeeper at the club. In the Championship, the go-to midfield was Ao Tanaka and Ethan Ampadu, but Anton Stach walked into a starting place. And as the season went on, Sean Longstaff also became an important part of the lineup.
Most Read on The Leeds Press
Dan James and Wilfried Gnonto also found themselves on the bench for most of the campaign.
Leeds United mans set to return to the bench on Saturday
Daniel Farke has managed to handle team selection well throughout the season, there are some players who needed time to adapt and others came into the lineup straight away. A good example is Jaka Bijol, who took weeks to adapt to England before becoming a regular. Sean Longstaff was an early contender for one of the underrated signings of the summer.
He started brightly with a goal and two assists in the first few months. Longstaff got injured near the end of the year and lost his place in the team. The former Newcastle man got his first start in a while recently, dropping solid performance in the FA Cup win over Birmingham City. But considering how good other options ahead of him have been, it is likely he drops back to the bench against Aston Villa.
READ MORE: Daniel Farke will be sweating as Aston Villa handed major injury boost ahead of clash with Leeds United
Injury came at the wrong time for Sean Longstaff
It was unfortunate how the summer signing lost his place in the team; his dynamism in the middle of the park was very beneficial to the team in the early months of the season. Add to that his deadball deliveries and eye for goal, Daniel Farke had the exact profile of player needed for the Premier League.
Now, Ilia Gruev has stepped up and taken his place alongside Ethan Ampadu and Anton Stach in midfield and the Bulgarian has not looked out of place. Longstaff must bide his time with games set to come in thick and fast near the end of the season.