Aston Villa Vs Leeds United: Okafor ruled out as Farke confirms hamstring layoff
Leeds United boss Daniel Farke has confirmed Noah Okafor will miss the upcoming Aston Villa Vs Leeds United trip after suffering a hamstring strain that will keep the forward sidelined for between two and four weeks, ruling him out of the visit to Villa Park and the subsequent home match with Manchester City.
Aston Villa Vs Leeds United: Okafor to miss Villa Park after cup injury
Farke said Okafor "has suffered an injury in the last cup game, a hamstring injury, " and that the Swiss international "will be out for between two and four weeks. It is a bit too early to judge but he will definitely miss the next two games, so definitely the Villa game and also the Man City game. " The manager delivered the update ahead of Leeds’ trip to Villa Park on Saturday afternoon.
Trio return to training at Thorp Arch
Alongside the Okafor setback, Farke offered a clearer picture of squad availability: "Anton Stach back in training, available. Pascal Struijk back in training, available. And also Daniel James is back. Hopefully he stays also fit right now but it looks good. All three are back in training. " Those three players are now in contention for selection after returning to full training at Thorp Arch.
How the injury happened and what Farke said
Sources in the match report show Okafor pulled up after a second-half sprint during the FA Cup tie at Birmingham City, and Farke has acknowledged the physical toll on attacking players. He noted Leeds sit "in the top two in terms of physical output for every game in the Premier League, " adding, "we always have to invest more or try to invest more than the opponent and have to go over the line. " Farke also warned that winter pitches and a long season can raise the risk of strains: "At this stage, February, the pitches are tough. A long season already in. "
OneFootball’s coverage adds that Farke has tried to manage Okafor’s workload across the campaign, substituting the forward when fatigue shows because of his explosive style and high-speed running. The manager has aimed to limit the winger’s exposure to repeated sprints but confirmed that medical input and extra conditioning work could not prevent this latest setback.
The absence of Okafor alters selection options for the weekend’s meeting and the Manchester City fixture at Elland Road; with the forward out for "between two and four weeks, " those two fixtures are confirmed misses for him. Meanwhile, Anton Stach, Pascal Struijk and Daniel James are back training and available for selection following their returns to the first-team group.
Leeds will now prepare for the trip to Villa Park on Saturday afternoon without Okafor, and the club’s next confirmed match after that is the home game against Manchester City, which Okafor will also miss while he recovers. The club will monitor his progress over the coming weeks to establish a clearer return date.
