Noah Okafor of Leeds United during the West Ham United vs Leeds United FA Cup quarter final match at the London Stadium
Credit: Imago
Mark Smith
Thu 16 April 2026 19:10, UK
Noah Okafor has stolen all of the headlines at Leeds United this week.
Leeds’ 2-1 win against Manchester United at Old Trafford on Monday was the story of the week in the Premier League, until events at Anfield.
Liverpool crashed out of the Champions League with a 2-0 loss against Paris Saint-Germain on Wednesday, but Hugo Ekitike’s injury was the big news.
Ekitike has ruptured his Achilles tendon and will miss the rest of the season, as well as the 2026 World Cup with France in North America.
It’s a huge blow for the striker, with Leeds being joined with disappointing injury news in recent weeks.
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Injury news taking over Premier League
Anton Stach, Joe Rodon and Dan James have all been ruled out recently at Elland Road, missing that key win at Old Trafford.
That could keep them out until May, with key games against Wolves and the FA Cup semi-final versus Chelsea before then for Daniel Farke.
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Leeds’ next three games
Thankfully, they should return soon, though, which isn’t the case for Ekitike.
After sharing a message to Liverpool fans on his personal Instagram account on Thursday afternoon, Okafor was quick to respond to the striker.
Noah Okafor messages Hugo Ekitike after shattering Liverpool injury news
Credit: Imago/noah.arinze
Okafor has had his own injury struggles this season, being absent for six games so far with hamstring and adductor problems.
Noah Okafor is now key for Leeds survival
In his last 11 starts for Leeds, Okafor hasn’t lost a single game in that run.
That included his Man of the Match display at Old Trafford, with his two goals taken expertly well after great work from the likes of Dominic Calvert-Lewin around him.
Okafor record when starting for Leeds
Credit: Breaking Media and Imago
That partnership has been sensational when put together, but it hasn’t happened enough.
Calvert-Lewin bullied the Manchester United defence throughout, and that allowed the likes of Okafor and Ao Tanaka to take advantage of the space it allowed around him.
With Wolves and Burnley to come at Elland Road in their next three Premier League fixtures, six points would all but confirm survival.
Okafor will be crucial in those games, and if he can stay fit alongside that FA Cup semi-final at Wembley too, Leeds could make this an end to the season to remember.