Huge Leeds United squad boost vs Man Utd as previously unseen pair make Dublin trip
Leeds United face Manchester United at Croke Park in Dublin this evening.
Two previously unseen Leeds United stars are confirmed to have made the trip to Dublin ahead of tonight’s pre-season friendly against Manchester United.
The Whites face their old rivals from across the Pennines at a sold out, 82,000-capacity Croke Park this evening. Daniel Farke’s side have won their last three pre-season games against top-flight opposition, the latter a 2-0 victory over RB Leipzig last weekend.
Club-record signing James Trafford was officially a Leeds player at that point but did not feature. The 23-year-old joined up with his new teammates on Tuesday following a £40million transfer from Manchester City.
With little time to waste before the 2026/27 season gets underway in 10 days, there was hope Trafford would get an unofficial debut this evening. And it's now been confirmed that the goalkeeper has travelled to Dublin.
The official X account of Dublin Airport posted a series of pictures showing the Leeds squad disembarking their plane. And in the background of the first picture, Trafford can be seen coming down the stairs between Lukas Nmecha and what appears to be Brenden Aaronson.
At the forefront of that picture is Noah Okafor, sporting a beanie cap even in the 27-degree Dublin sunshine. The winger has not featured in pre-season yet after being given an extended break following his World Cup exploits with Switzerland.
Okafor will have fond memories of facing Manchester United, his first-half brace handing Leeds a historic 2-1 win at Old Trafford in April. That represented a first league win over their old rivals since 1981 and earned the Swiss international a now iconic chant.
Both players will hope to get some involvement at Croke Park this evening in what’s set to be an incredible occasion. Farke has just two more pre-season games to get his plans together before Leeds travel to Nottingham Forest on Saturday August 22.