Leeds United will play two more friendlies before their Premier League campaign gets back up and running once more. Spanish outfit Real Sociedad will travel to Elland Road on Friday night before Ligue 1 side AS Monaco make the journey on Wednesday, December 21, a week before Manchester City make the trip to get the league action started once more.
Jesse Marsch will look to give game time to as many players as possible across both friendlies, but he’ll also be keen to see his side handle the stern challenge with both Sociedad and Monaco currently competing in the Europa League. Here’s a look at just some of the players who will be keen to make a point over the next week or so.
Adam Forshaw
Injuries have restricted Forshaw to just three Premier League appearances during what has been another hugely frustrating season for the midfielder. However, he’s fit again and after getting over an hour of game time under his belt last week against Elche, he’ll be looking to play a big role in both games on home soil.
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Tyler Adams is suspended for Leeds' next competitive fixture against Man City on December 28 and as a result, there is a place up for grabs in the middle of the park. Forshaw has competition for the spot from the likes of Sam Greenwood and Darko Gyabi, but he’ll be the favourite for the role should he perform well over the next week or so.
Joe Gelhardt
This season hasn’t gone to plan for Joe Gelhardt so far, with the youngster struggling for form and minutes under Marsch. The forward has seen just 162 Premier League minutes this season and the momentum he build up whilst breaking through last season seems to have stalled ever so slightly.
As such, Gelhardt will be aiming to excel against Sociedad and Monaco and build up a head of steam in order to hit the ground running when the Premier League restarts. He’s still only 20 and the goal he bagged in Spain last week won’t have done him any harm as he looks to manoeuvre his way into Jesse Marsch’s thoughts.
Leeds are known to be on the lookout for a striker in the January window, with Brazil international Matheus Cunha being linked, and Gelhardt must do all he can to prevent his game time from suffering even more.
Jack Harrison
Harrison started the season so well but his form tailed off as the World Cup break approached, turning in a number of subpar performances. The winger has since revealed that he had been playing through the pain of a hip issue and while he refused to let it be an excuse, it will have taken a toll on his form.
He had a difficult night against Elche, but he’ll be determined to raise his game against Sociedad and Monaco, particularly as he has stiff competition for a spot after Christmas. Crysencio Summerville’s goals have cemented him as a starter for the Whites, while Wilfried Gnonto made an impressive impact just before the break, too, to apply a bit of pressure on Harrison.
Cody Drameh
Drameh got 29 minutes for the Whites on Thursday night and that was his first senior outing since starting in September against Brentford. Since that outing in west London, Drameh has had to make do with U21s football, stepping down and excelling on a regular basis under Michael Skubala.
He has first-team ambitions, though, and a couple of strong performances against the Europa League sides would certainly send a clear message to the head coach. A loan move could be considered in January for the full-back and he certainly won’t be short of potential suitors.
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