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Leeds United will finally begin their Premier League return with next Monday night’s visit of Everton - but five players are doubtful for the contest for which five more are back.
Unlike the 2023-24 campaign which went all the way to the Championship play-off final, Daniel Farke’s Whites were able to enjoy an ‘earlier’ finish to the 2024-25 season from which they went up as second tier champions.
Indeed, Leeds had secured promotion with nine days of April still remaining as their 6-0 thrashing of Stoke City on Easter Monday was followed by a 1-0 victory for Burnley against Sheffield United which sent the Whites and Clarets up.
That meant the final two games were all about fighting it out for the title which Leeds sealed in dramatic fashion through a last gasp 2-1 success at Plymouth Argyle on the final day of the Championship season on Saturday, May 3.
Fourteen long weeks have passed since but Leeds will finally be back in competitive action on Monday night as Everton arrive at Elland Road for the first game of the new season.
However, even after a 14-week break, there are doubts about key men for the contest for which five more are back.
Both teams took in their final pre-season friendlies on Saturday and here we run through the early injury news from both sides with a key Whites man among the doubts.
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7. DOUBT: Dominic Calvert-Lewin
Calvert-Lewin only joined Leeds on Friday and Farke warned at Friday's pre-match press conference that after the international break might be a more realistic idea of a timeframe as to when Calvert-Lewin would be ready. That said, Farke has said he hopes the new signing might be ready quicker than that. | LUFC
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8. BACK: Sebastiaan Bornauw
Summer Leeds signing Bornauw suffered a calf strain in his new team's first training session in their Germany pre-season training camp but Farke revealed on Friday that the Belgian had been back in training since Monday and was now available for selection. | LUFC
9. BACK: Dan James
Whites star James missed the penultimate pre-season friendly against Villarreal due to light problems that boss Daniel Farke did not want to take any risks over. James, though, was back in the starting line up for the weekend's final friendly against AC Milan and came through 67 minutes. | Getty Images
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10. BACK: Lucas Perri
New Whites keeper Perri also missed the Villarreal friendly having joined the club with a slight hamstring injury but the Brazilian played the first half against AC Milan and declared afterwards that he was now 100 per cent fit. | AFP via Getty Images
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11. BACK: Jack Harrison
Clearly back in the mix after two seasons away on loan with Everton, Whites winger Harrison missed the Villarreal friendly due to adductor problems but returned for 15 minutes from the bench against AC Milan. | Getty Images
12. BACK: Seamus Coleman
Experienced Everton defender Coleman ended the 2025-26 season injured but he too is back in the mix, the 36-year-old bagging ten minutes from the bench of the AS Roma friendly. | Getty Images