Leeds United boss Jesse Marsch has confirmed that Pascal Struijk will start against Arsenal at Elland Road on Sunday.
The Whites manager spoke to Leeds Live ahead of the Premier League meeting with the Gunners.
Struijk has made a name for himself at left-back this season, playing every minute of Leeds’ league campaign so far.
Junior Firpo has been out with a knee injury, coming on in the last half-hour against Aston Villa.
Now, the 26-year-old is fully fit, prompting questions over who will start at left-back for Leeds this weekend.
Marsch answered this question on Friday, telling reporters that Struijk would get the nod.
He said the 23-year-old has been playing at “such a high level” that he warranted keeping in the XI.
Marsch also stressed that Firpo is not quite at full fitness yet, though he’ll start soon with such a busy schedule.
“Right now Pascal is playing at such a high level that we will start with Pascal on the weekend,” he said.
“But, we need to get Junior fully fit and healthy and he trained all week this week, he looks really good.
“He’s still a real important piece for us as things go forward.
“We have a three-game week coming up so I anticipate that he will be ready to go.
“And we will definitely need minutes from him and we’ll evaluate exactly what we do for each match but he’s ready.”
Good call from Marsch – TBR View
Struijk has proven to be a revelation at left-back and it’s great to see Marsch keep faith in him.
This isn’t bad news for Firpo – having two players share the workload is best in the long run.
Also, it’s better for Firpo to get the chance to fully recover and not risk aggravating the issue.