Farke on fitness, Harrison and being 'desperate to score' against Wolves
- Published
Leeds United boss Daniel Farke has been speaking to the media before Saturday's Premier League game against Wolves at Molineux (15:00 BST).
Here are the key lines from his news conference:
Farke said Daniel James and Willy Gnonto are "major doubts" for Saturday's game and "late calls" will be made on both. James is still struggling with a hit in a core muscle while Gnonto has missed some training sessions with calf problems.
The boss also confirmed goalkeeper Lucas Perri is still out, saying: "Middle of next week, we'll have a better picture."
Ao Tanaka and Joel Piroe are both "back in contention" after returning from injury but "there is competition": "Deliver good performances, wait patiently for chances and grab your chance."
He said the door is open for Jack Harrison to fight his way to a starting berth: "If he continues with his hard work, he maybe can get into the XI one day. Jack is always in my mind [for team selection]."
Is the trip to struggling Wolves a must-win?: "I go into every game with 100% motivation to win the game. If we can't win it, then the aim is to not lose it. If win, lose or draw - nothing would be decided yet. Doesn't make our life easier."
More on the challenge of travelling to Molineux: "We are always desperate to score and win games. We also stay humble. A newly promoted side away from home is always the underdog but we don't travel with fear."
On summer signing Jaka Bijol: "For 80% of the Premier League, if you sign a defender for £15m, he is a squad player. I like Jaka a lot and the fact is he was not available for first game day. But in the mid and long term - we haven't signed Jaka for the first four games."
On 16-year-old forward Harry Gray who scored a hat-trick for the under-21s in the National League Cup in midweek: "If I had to select a manager to manage a young player, I would say it is me, to be honest. He needs game time with under-21s and to not lose his striker instincts. What he needs most is time and peace."
Follow all of Thursday's Premier League news conferences and the rest of the day's football news
Listen to full commentary of Wolves v Leeds on BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra 2 from 15:00 BST on Saturday
