Farke on Ampadu, goalkeepers and pundit predictions
- Published
Leeds United boss Daniel Farke has been speaking to the media before Saturday's Premier League game against Fulham at Craven Cottage (15:00 BST).
Here are the key lines from his news conference:
Farke also said a "late decision" will be made over the inclusion of Ao Tanaka and Ethan Ampadu after the pair returned from their respective knee injuries to train with the team this week.
There are a "few question marks" over Lukas Nmecha who suffered a "hit on his foot" and missed training yesterday while Joel Piroe has a "bruise on his calf".
The Leeds boss also confirmed summer signing Lucas Perri has been ruled out of the trip to Craven Cottage with a quad issue and will also miss the visit of Wolves the following weekend.
He backed Karl Darlow who is likely to replace Perri in goal: "I'm not worried at all. We all trust Karl. He's experienced and has many Premier League games behind him. He doesn't crack under pressure."
On Dominic Calvert-Lewin: "The longer he stays fit and is in team training, the more likely it is he gets minutes. He's in contention to play."
Reflecting on the transfer window, Farke said: "I don't feel sorry for myself. You won't hear a bad word from me after a transfer window has closed. Once the situation is done, I adapt to the reality. There's not one thought of me to be disappointed or down. I'm fully focused on the next game."
On retaining key players this summer: "It was not negotiable that one of our big players should go for a big transfer fee. We didn't even discuss this as no-one wants to weaken their squad."
On pundit predictions suggesting Leeds will struggle this season: "Let them write us off. We will stay humble. There'll be no fighting messages from me. We'll concentrate on the hard work required to get the points we need."
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