Daniel Farke has shared his ‘bottle of ketchup’ theory over one of his Leeds United stars’ recent performances.

Farke brought Manor Solomon on for a late cameo against Sheffield United and then introduced him to the action early on in the midweek win over Watford when Largie Ramazani went off injured. Though Solomon began his Elland Road stint as first choice for the left wing berth, a back injury and subsequent hamstring niggle kept him out of four games. A 2023/24 campaign ravaged by a serious knee injury has been at the forefront of minds at Thorp Arch as they guide Solomon back to full fitness and Farke did not want to rush the Israeli international. Ramzani’s form made that decision easier, until he went off with ankle ligament damage on Tuesday night.

At Ashton Gate on Saturday Farke turned to Daniel James to replace Ramazani in the starting line-up, bringing Solomon off the bench as a second half substitute with 20 minutes remaining. But for the third straight outing the Tottenham Hotspur loanee was unable to shine and looked rusty as the Whites were held to a 0-0 draw. By comparison, James shone in his cameo against Watford and created real danger against the Robins, albeit without scoring.

Farke believes Solomon himself wants so badly to return to his best that he is overthinking or overcomplicating his play. “Sometimes like a bottle of ketchup, you shake it and you want it too much and all of a sudden it happens. When he first came he played with so much confidence, rhythm and so much confidence then the injury stopped him from going on international duty and he has to do his rehab. Such a proud player to play for his national team, it was a sucker punch for him. He worked so hard to come back and the feeling is of course he can't be there with 100 per cent, he needs a bit of time.

“He works so hard in training and he always adds some additional stuff in training and in the game. He wants it so much. So sometimes you want him to relax a bit. Play a bit less complicated and it will come. We're fully convinced of his quality. Out of good intention he forces it a bit too much, you don’t have to prove what a good player you are, do what you've done your whole career and your quality will shine. I'm pretty sure it will happen soon. Keep in mind a bottle of ketchup.”