Aston Villa Vs Leeds United: Okafor ruled out with hamstring problem

Leeds United manager Daniel Farke provided a fitness update ahead of aston villa vs leeds united after Noah Okafor suffered a hamstring problem that will keep the winger sidelined for between two and four weeks. A live match blog titled "Aston Villa vs Leeds LIVE! Premier League match updates, news and score" is currently unavailable with the message: "Sorry, this blog is currently unavailable. Please try again later. "

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Okafor pulled up after a sprint during the second half of the FA Cup tie at Birmingham City and has now been diagnosed with a hamstring problem. Farke said the injury will keep Okafor out of the trip to Aston Villa and the Elland Road clash with Manchester City at the very least, placing the winger on a two-to-four-week absence list.

Okafor's injury and timeline

The hamstring issue follows a long season in which Farke has tried to manage Okafor’s minutes carefully. Okafor has been fit and available for all but one game this season, and that single absence came early in the campaign when a slight groin injury kept him out of the trip to Burnley. Despite being available almost every week, Okafor has only once started a match and remained on the pitch until the final whistle.

Farke on physical profile

Farke has openly discussed Okafor’s physical profile as a key factor in his handling. The manager said: "He's a tall and relatively heavy player, especially for an offensive player. And also the way he plays. It's not like he covers an unbelievable distance like midfielders but he covers an unbelievable high speed distance, many sprints, goes for one against one situations and is lightning quick. These types of players are sadly a bit more vulnerable for muscle injuries, you see it in all teams and all other leagues. We've done really well [to keep him fit]. Once the feeling is he gets a bit tired then I don't let him too long on the pitch, knowing he has an injury CV. "

Medical steps and conditioning work

Leeds’ medical team, Farke’s timely substitutions and Okafor’s own work away from Thorp Arch with a sprint and conditioning coach have been referenced as steps taken to minimise injury risk. Despite those measures, the hamstring problem has occurred following the sprint in the FA Cup tie second half at Birmingham City, and the club expects Okafor to miss two to four weeks of action while he recovers.

Manager's wider perspective

Farke described the situation as an occupational hazard at this time of year, pointing to heavy workloads and poor pitch conditions in winter months. He added: "Sometimes you can't avoid it, the workload is big, difficult pitches in January and February and sometimes there's a little injury. With offensive players you sometimes have to deal with it. If you put them in cotton wool they can't shine. I'm happy he's so quick and puts so much high speed distance in because if you're slow as a snail you rarely have muscle injuries. "

Noah Okafor's injury arrives against the backdrop of a player who has past extensive injury issues at AC Milan and RB Salzburg, and who is a Swiss international. This season he has started 18 times for Leeds in all competitions and made 27 appearances in total. Farke has spent the season trying to protect him but acknowledged he cannot literally wrap the winger in cotton wool.

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Leeds will assess Okafor's recovery over the coming weeks with the initial outlook set at two to four weeks out of action.