Leeds United Daniel Farke Premier League selection decision has 'hurt so much'
Daniel Farke has been forced to make some tough decisions each Leeds United gameweek.
Daniel Farke says one of his most difficult Leeds United selection decisions has 'hurt him' so far this season.
Leeds brought Sebastiaan Bornauw in from Wolfsburg in the summer as they beefed up their central defensive options. The £5.1m signing was one of two new faces in that position with Jaka Bijol also arriving from Serie A side Udinese. But after picking up an injury in the very first training session of the team's July training camp in Germany the 26-year-old has not yet forced his way into Premier League action. And where Bijol has been forced to wait on the bench due to the form of both Pascal Struijk and Joe Rodon, Bornauw has not even had that luxury. His only match involvement came in the Carabao Cup defeat at Sheffield Wednesday.
According to Farke it's a situation that pains him. "This was one of my toughest decisions and it really has hurt me to not involve Sebastiaan in the last couple of matchday squads," said the German. "It's just due to the situation. We have four specialists. You have situations where you substitute a bit earlier, especially on the wing and it's important I change two times [there].
“At centre-back if there are no injuries or major incidents or major dangers of red cards you are not tempted to change too much. For that, we can't afford in each and every game to have two centre-backs on the bench because we need more options [elsewhere]. If we play with just two centre-backs in a four-man formation we can just have one specialist on the bench. This has hurt me so much, I see the quality and the character of Sebastiaan. It's just been unlucky for him."
Farke insists that Bornauw is pushing for not only a squad place but a starting berth in the team. But the form of Struijk and Rodon has not tempted the manager into any changes at the heart of his defence.
Daniel Farke on Leeds United’s defensive options
"Great for us that we've played with Pascal and Joe and they've been amazing," said Farke. "Even a player like Jaka Bijol, just due to missing the first game day because he was not eligible, he was just on the bench so far after an impressive pre-season. Sebastiaan has done nothing wrong, he was disadvantaged just by a long injury and was then not in the first game days.
“Due to this fact, Joe, Pascal and Jaka who played more or less each and every pre-season game and national team games have the advantage of game time. It's tough. I see how much Sebastiaan pushes for it, not just to be in the squad but to start. We need that. We're there with not one problem so far at centre-back. He has to be patient a little bit. They've rarely put a foot wrong, even Jaka has not. It would not be deserved to take them out at the moment."
Though there will be frustration for Bornauw, who made up his mind months before the transfer window opened to depart the Bundesliga and join Leeds if they got promoted, it's exactly the kind of situation Leeds wanted to create when they put together their recruitment plan in the summer. They wanted depth and wanted to give Farke options, and at centre-half at least they appear to have achieved it.
"For a player of his calibre it's difficult," said Farke. "But this is how professional football works and it's what I value and cherish as a manager, to be in a situation where you have to even leave some top players out. At goalkeeper and this position we have no problems and I'm pretty blessed."