One of the biggest surprises of Sunday’s match between Leeds United and Manchester United was not that Leeds should have won the game, but something that happened before the game.
Leeds fans and even Daniel Farke were frustrated by the Whites’ inability to see off Ruben Amorim’s side, especially having taken the lead through an inspired Brenden Aaronson, just after the hour mark.
Farke said he “wasn’t over the moon” with the result, but Man United were there for the taking, and Leeds had chances to put them away. Dominic Calvert-Lewin hit the post, Noah Okafor came close to scoring.
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Joel Piroe came off the bench and curled a gorgeous effort inches over the bar. A 1-1 draw that maintains the unbeaten run and extends the gap on the bottom three to eight. All without captain Ethan Ampadu.
Why Sean Longstaff was included in Leeds’ squad on Sunday
When Farke confirmed Longstaff’s calf injury, he said the midfielder would be out for 4-6 weeks. At the time, six weeks would have equated to eight games. Man United on Sunday was the eighth game.
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So, Longstaff should be close but of course, Farke likes his players to train first before throwing them into the side. But without Ampadu playing, Farke lacked some leadership and maturity in his playing squad.
Farke explains that is why he chose to include Longstaff, to add some maturity, with Ampadu sidelined due to receiving a fifth yellow card against Liverpool and earning a one-match suspension for Sunday.
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“We even had Sean Longstaff back in the squad but normally I would never do this after such a long-term injury and without a proper team session, but I wanted his personality and maturity in the dressing room.”
Daniel Farke shares details of Sean Longstaff’s injury
Does he start when he’s fit again?
💬 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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Sean Longstaff will be the most frustrated man in Yorkshire
Longstaff picked up the calf problem following the defeat to Aston Villa at Elland Road, in which Morgan Rogers scored a brace. Since then, Leeds have turned things around; they’ve done it without Longstaff.
The next game after Villa was the 3-2 loss to Man City, the second half that spearheaded Leeds’ run of games, which have seen Farke’s men remain unbeaten. Longstaff will have been itching to play again.
But having to miss the last eight games and watch from the sidelines will have frustrated Longstaff and he will be desperate to get fit again and play a part in Leeds’ return to form. Newcastle next, on Wednesday.
Longstaff will be keen to show that he can contribute to Leeds’ upturn in form and the unbeaten run, and that, actually, he was not part of the initial problem.
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