Leeds United winger Jack Harrison has been reintegrated into the squad under Daniel Farke, but his cameo in Dublin was greeted with loud boos from the travelling supporters.
In the absence of fresh attacking additions made to the current Leeds squad, plenty of discourse has been focused on one player that Daniel Farke is treating like a new face in the squad.
Jack Harrison returned from his two-year Everton stint to Elland Road, now unable to utilise a loan clause and forced to face the music at Leeds with little permanent interest forthcoming in his signature.
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Daniel Farke reacts to Jack Harrison boos from Leeds United appearance v AC Milan
As Leeds and AC Milan played out a well-matched 1-1 draw in Dublin last weekend, there was an unsavoury moment when Farke turned to his bench.
Harrison was introduced to a loud chorus of boos from the travelling Leeds supporters that made their way to the Aviva Stadium, some directing chants at the winger and his mother, following footage emerging during his Toffees loan of his mother insisting they wouldn’t think of returning to Leeds.
Jack Harrison has been forced to return to the Leeds United squad after a forgettable 24 months on loan at Everton. (REUTERS/Carl Recine)
The winger tried to play it off at full-time by applauding the United fans, and Farke addressed the situation post-match.
“It (the boos) wasn’t a surprise,” Farke admitted. “It was expected with his first outing in front of such a large amount of Leeds supporters. Our supporters have the right to have an opinion and it was challenging for our supporters with his decisions.
“But I also liked the reaction of the others, who clapped whenever he touched the ball. It’s still up to Jack to win everyone over – to show commitment, to show desire and be brave and this is the best way. He has presented himself within the group as a top character and he has all the chances to win our supporters back.
“You could feel that he’s won a few back already because after the boos, others were clapping. Jack has all the chances to prove that he can play an important role for us in the upcoming season.”
If Jack Harrison didn’t like Dublin boos, he’s in for worse v Everton on Monday night
It’s surprising to see a player booed by his own fans during a pre-season friendly that enjoyed such a feel good atmosphere across the Irish channel.
However, it’s also not surprising given the situation that has transpired between Leeds, Harrison and the multiple others that couldn’t wait to leave when we were relegated.
It was such a kick in the teeth watching these players’ feeble attempts to stay in the division in 2023, practically giving up in the games leading up to relegation, being followed up by them all jumping ship through loan clauses still stings, and Harrison clearly isn’t off the hook.
Jack Harrison was one of Leeds’ top performers in 22/23, but couldn’t wait to leave. (REUTERS/Tony Obrien)
Brenden Aaronson and Max Wöber got their fair share of stick for doing the same; the American worked hard to amend that relationship with an important nine-goal contribution to promotion, while I can recall (from my South Stand perch) Wöber jogging out of the tunnel to some boos after the 4-0 win against Bristol City as the players celebrated promotion post-match, his injuries and lack of involvement stopping him from enjoying the same successful overall campaign Aaronson did.
Harrison’s situation is twice as bad, though, having spent two years on loan while underhanded comments from himself and that aforementioned family member have allowed the seething feeling to fester for another year, having gone from such high regard within the fanbase as a constant presence in Marcelo Bielsa’s iconic side, to being like every other player worth forgetting about.
A pre-season friendly generating such vitriol may just be a taster compared to what could ensue in a competitive Premier League fixture, knowing what Elland Road gets like at its best and worst, an us-against-them atmosphere that isn’t likely to welcome back Harrison as if nothing happened.
The fickle nature of Harrison’s situation is that if he’s hitting double figure goals next season, he’ll be some way to being favoured again, but there lies a major problem – his two loans at Everton were so poor that they don’t want him back, and he looks miles off recapturing the form he showed under Bielsa.
And, the ultimate irony of his potential competitive return to the Leeds side is that not only will the home fans have a few choice words for him, but his performances in an Everton shirt might make him a target for abuse from the away end on Monday too.
Let me know your thoughts in the comments below!