Fourteen starts in two years is hardly the ideal preparation for a footballer being dropped in at the Premier League deep end in the backline of a club second-bottom of the goals conceded column. Junior Firpo had a mountain to climb 12 months ago and that was before he was struck by Covid three times and multiple injuries.
The former Barcelona full-back is optimistic this next season cannot be worse and hopes he will be able to kick on with consistency and fitness. In a cruel twist of fate, Firpo furnished the media with this optimism before injury would ultimately rule him out of the tour to Australia.
Speaking after Thursday’s win over Blackpool, in which Firpo scored, he was asked if his attacking mentality would be replicated in the season ahead. He said: “That’s how it’s going to be if the Covid and injuries let me. I am just trying to stay fit, to play every single game and, as I always say, give everything on the pitch.”
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The 25-year-old would start exactly half of the 38 Premier League games Leeds played. It was a challenging season for Firpo, no better summed up than by his league-high tally of 11 yellow cards.
With Stuart Dallas expected to be out until 2023, Leif Davis as likely to leave as he is to stay and Pascal Struijk and Leo Hjelde blossoming into centre-backs, all eyes are on Firpo at left-back. With the difficult first year under his belt, will part two be his year?
“This is going to be better than the last one, for sure, 100 per cent, can’t be worse,” he said. “Will be better 100 per cent and I don’t know if it will be my season or not, but I have the feeling the team, the signings they are bringing, the environment is growing so the people don’t know how important it is what we achieved last season in staying in the league.”
He added: “This was a problem for me in particular. I had a lot of injuries. It’s difficult, I came here in the Premier League without playing too much in the last two seasons and [you can] imagine without injuries it’s difficult, but imagine with injuries and with Covid three times, so it’s not easy.
“The team, the club helped me in all the aspects and they tried to keep me working at the same level, always giving me the best option. If I can be fit this season, play every single minute, and don’t lose any games, it will be the best thing for me.”
The next task at hand is shaking off this current knock in time for the final friendly of the season against Cagliari on July 31.
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