Junior Firpo sends heartfelt two-word message to 'gutted' Leeds United teammate after promotion failure

Junior Firpo has kept it short and sweet in responding to ‘gutted’ Leeds United teammate Ethan Ampadu on social media.

Leeds players have started to reflect on last month’s heart-breaking 1-0 Championship play-off final defeat against Southampton, a result which ultimately saw them miss out on promotion. Daniel Farke’s side racked up an incredible 90 points during the regular campaign but slipped up when it mattered most and now have another year of second-tier football on the cards.

Ampadu could be forgiven for feeling particularly devastated, given he played all of the 46 games during the regular season and three play-off fixtures, often leading his side out since the turn of the year with neither Liam Cooper nor Pascal Struijk playing. The 23-year-old, like many of his teammates, took some time away from it all but joined up with his countrymen for the June international break recently.

Ahead of his expected return to action this week, where he looks set to captain his country against Gibraltar, Ampadu took to Instagram to address the heart-breaking finish to his domestic campaign. "We will be back," he wrote. "Gutted to end it like that but massive thank you for all your support this season. See you next season."

The versatile Welshman’s words were well-received among supporters, with Whites teammate Firpo among the many to comfort Ampadu. The left-back simply wrote: ”Love you” alongside a heart emoji.

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Firpo and Ampadu are currently among those expected to stay and take another shot at promotion next season, although the former will enter the final 12 months of his current contract this summer and so a decision will need to be made regarding his future. Ampadu has just completed the first of a four-year contract and could be in contention to be named club captain if Liam Cooper leaves once his deal expires next month.

Since returning from injury at the start of the season, Firpo has been excellent for Leeds, enjoying his best period at Elland Road since arriving from Barcelona in 2021. The Dominican Republic international struggled initially but Daniel Farke’s style, plus the drop in quality through the Championship, has seen him thrive with seven Championship assists only bettered among the squad by Georginio Rutter and Crysencio Summerville.

Another key aspect to Firpo’s uptick in form has simply been his availability, with the attacking left-back able to keep himself fit for much longer periods than the previous two seasons in the Premier League.

"The first few games are quite difficult because imagine you're out, not being able to do it, and then you come straight in and you try to give 200 per cent," he told the Yorkshire Evening Post of his fitness improvements earlier this season. "Sometimes that's dangerous. This season for example I've worked a lot on the mental part of it and what I think I did the best was at the start, when I came back, trying to manage myself. Knowing myself that I cannot go 100 per cent every day, is the best thing that I did. That helped me a lot."