Leeds United boss Daniel Farke's glowing Tarik Muharemovic verdict after 'class' debut vs Sunderland

Leeds United boss Daniel Farke believes ‘the sky is the limit’ for new-boy Tarik Muharemovic following an impressive overnight debut against Sunderland.

Muharemovic, who joined in a £34million deal from Italian outfit Sassuolo earlier this month, got his first minutes in a Leeds shirt during last night’s 1-0 pre-season win over the Black Cats in New Jersey. The centre-back started alongside Joe Rodon and Sebastiaan Bornauw in a back three and certainly stood out.

A confident all-round performance saw Muharemovic defend his area of the pitch with physicality and intelligence, while on the ball the 23-year-old was very impressive. The Bosnian was the best player on the pitch until his late substitution in what was a promising start to life at Leeds.

“For Tarik, a little bit more challenging because it’s his first time in English football, first time together with his teammates and he’s had to adapt to a different intensity and a different age group,” Farke said in a video posted on X via US journalist Matthew Mangam. “He’s a very young player who has just played more or less one year on the top level but he’s a promising young man, full of talent.

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“He has unbelievable potential, for him the sky is the limit. I think you could see his quality shine through more or less in each and every moment of the game, his calmness, his body language, his appearance, how smart he reads the game, and many interceptions of the ball. I think for the first outing together with his teammates, in such a complicated game, he was there with a class appearance and I’m very happy that we have him.”

Muharemovic was joined in the starting line-up by fellow summer arrival Harry Wilson. The Welshman got his first start under Farke after coming off the bench at half-time in last weekend’s 3-2 defeat against Wrexham.

While Wilson didn’t stand out on the night in the same way his Bosnian teammate did, moments of technical skill gave fans an idea of what to expect when the proper stuff gets going next month. And Farke is in no doubt about the quality he’s welcomed into his squad.

“Harry is a good player on this level, many Premier League appearances already under his belt,” the Leeds boss added. “An outstanding season with many end products, goals and assists. He has lots of experience in the UK and the Premier League. Obviously he’s a quality player and will improve our offence.”