Four pre-season surprises from Leeds United set the tone under Daniel Farke for 24/25

Four surprises in Leeds United’s opening week of pre-season set the tone for the campaign ahead under Daniel Farke. Almost every signed senior player who played a role last season was from day one on Tuesday.

In recent years, the Whites have used the Carnegie School of Sport at Leeds Beckett University for the first days of pre-season testing. However, the team was stationed at Thorp Arch from the start in 2024.

In a heavily refurbished gym, complete with a newly added Red Bull fridge, the club’s medical and performance staff greeted the players with various tests. The dreaded beep test ensued outside on the pitches, but there are more players involved than outsiders would have anticipated.

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It is very rare for an entire Premier League or Championship team to come together for pre-season on the same day due to their international commitments. Invariably, at least a handful of players’ seasons will be extended by playing for their countries, and their return dates are subsequently pushed back by about a week.

There were fewer international call-ups than usual after the play-off final for Leeds, but a quartet of names were expected to get more time off. Ethan Ampadu, Daniel James and Charlie Crew were with the Wales squad that played recently on June 9.

That means they had three weeks and two days between that friendly and the first day back at Thorp Arch. Junior Firpo flew even further and played for the Dominican Republic until June 12, giving him a fraction of less than three weeks off.

Instead, the likes of Illan Meslier, Joel Piroe and others without a call-up have had more than five weeks rest since the play-off final at Wembley. LeedsLive understands it was a mutual decision between the players and Farke to bring them back with less rest than some of their colleagues.

Farke made no secret of his belief that hard work is the answer to many of football’s problems, while the players were also keen to get back on track and start their pre-season programs after such a disappointment at Wembley. Joe Rodon, Diego Llorente, Brenden Aaronson, Rasmus Kristensen and Max Wober are the only senior names yet to be spotted in the club’s preseason coverage.

Rodon was in the US when his transfer from Tottenham Hotspur was confirmed on Tuesday, while Llorente is expected to seal a move away from the Albi this summer. The other three were involved in tournaments with their national teams.