Leeds extended their unbeaten streak to five games at the Stadium of Light on Sunday.
A seventh goal in six appearances from Dominic Calvert-Lewin secured a 1-1 draw against Sunderland and helped take Leeds seven points away from the relegation zone, ensuring Daniel Farke has not suffered a defeat since the 3-2 loss at Manchester City.
It has been a special run considering relegation fears were rife after that defeat at the Etihad Stadium, but Sean Longstaff might selfishly be a bit concerned to see Leeds shining without him.
Sean Longstaff surely has doubts over his playing time as Leeds United flourish without him
It initially seemed like a nightmare when Farke revealed at the end of November that the Leeds No.8 would miss six weeks of action due to a calf injury.
Daniel Farke shares details of Sean Longstaff’s injury
💬 𝗗𝗙 𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝗲𝗮𝗺 𝗻𝗲𝘄𝘀: “Anton Stach will definitely miss the Man City game due to the concussion protocol. Sean Longstaff is out with a calf injury, expected to be 4-6 weeks. Sebastiaan Bornauw will be a late call.” pic.twitter.com/lsB6P9XjBF
— Leeds United (@LUFC) November 27, 2025
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Longstaff was performing superbly before damaging his calf, creating a high volume of chances with his excellent technical ability and even earning early Player of the Season shouts from within the Leeds fanbase.
Despite the Newcastle academy graduate’s efforts, however, Leeds only won three of the 12 Premier League games he featured in before his injury. Since Ao Tanaka stepped in as his replacement, Farke has overseen two wins, three draws and a defeat.
We are by no means blaming the poor start to the season on Longstaff, for what it’s worth.
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Our point is that Farke is seemingly a superstitious coach, who tends to stick with a formula when he sees it bearing some fruit.
Photo by Michael Driver/MI News/NurPhoto via Getty Images
The German may therefore refrain from throwing Longstaff straight back into his starting XI when fit, considering how well Tanaka, Ethan Ampadu, Anton Stach and Brenden Aaronson are faring in midfield during this exciting unbeaten run.
Make no mistake, the 28-year-old is experienced enough to know how the game works, and that he might have to bide his time before another start arrives, although we presume he will want some reassurance from Farke given how well his teammates have coped without him across the last five weeks.
Daniel Farke could trial new position for Sean Longstaff if midfield spot fails to open up
With Joe Rodon now facing a spell on the sidelines after two gruesome ankle twists against Sunderland, Farke only has Sebastiaan Bornauw to step into defence from the bench if he plans to keep using the 3-5-2 formation.
How would you line-up at Liverpool without Joe Rodon? 🤕
Would you stick with 3-5-2 or switch formation?
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However, with his 6ft 2in frame and tidy passing skills, we see no reason why Longstaff cannot do a job for Leeds in the middle of the back three, with Jaka Bijol coming out to the right to replace Rodon.
Failing that, Ampadu could drop into defence with Longstaff taking his No.6 role at the base of midfield.
If not in either of those positions, the £15m man might have to wait for one of his fellow midfielders to suffer an injury too before he can return to his favoured position in the starting XI.
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