Red-hot Leeds United star provides positive fitness update with 'go higher' warning for Premier League rivals
Noah Okafor has been in great form for Leeds United having overcome a recent hamstring injury.
Noah Okafor has heaped praise on the ‘incredible’ Leeds United medical team for keeping him and other previously injury-prone players fit this season.
Okafor, who joined Leeds in a £16million deal from AC Milan last summer, was one of several players to arrive at Elland Road with question marks over his future availability. According to Transfermarkt, the winger missed 88 days through injury and illness last season, sitting out a combined 14 games for his two clubs - Milan and Napoli - and Switzerland.
This season Okafor has been sidelined for just six games and he is not the only Leeds player to allay pre-season fitness fears. Striker Dominic Calvert-Lewin hasn’t missed a single Premier League game through injury since making his debut in August while Lukas Nmecha is enjoying his best season of availability since 2020/21.
“I think it's no secret, they are just good, they are transparent,” Okafor told BBC West Yorkshire Sport of the medical team. “They have a clear plan. This is important. When you get an injury, for example, 10 days or two weeks or something, they have a perfect plan.
“[They are] like ‘do this, this and this, then on this day, you're back, or try to go back to the team’. This gives a player confidence. I think the medical staff here, they're incredible. They're really good, so yeah, we're really comfortable.”
Okafor also deserves credit for his availability. Ongoing issues for Daniel James are evidence how easily a jet-heeled winger can pick up muscle injuries but the Swiss international has been working with a sprint coach this season in a bid to reduce the risk.
Noah Okafor’s ‘go higher’ message for Leeds United
Put simply, better availability means Okafor can play more matches, offering greater opportunity to find form. And he has found form. Three goals in as many games - including a brace at Old Trafford - earned him a nomination for April’s Premier League Player of the month.
He notched goal number eight for the season in last week’s 3-1 win at home to Burnley, marking his most productive ever campaign in a top-five European league. And an encouraging sign for Leeds is that their talisman believes there is more to come ahead of Tottenham on Monday.
“I think I worked extremely hard off the pitch,” Okafor added. “I did a lot of things with my coach and I think this helps a lot. I'm now strong, and now I can perform.
“Sometimes you can still get an injury because it's football. You still have a lot of games, a lot of travelling, you have contact, a lot of sprints, a lot of running. I don't wish it for nobody, but sometimes injuries can come, or you have a little bit of fatigue, or you get a hit.
“I think this is normal in football, but the way I train now and the way I'm positive, working hard every day, I think this keeps me fitter. But it's not my top [level] yet. I still can go higher.”