Farke confirms Leeds United star will miss Crystal Palace clash

Daniel Farke has confirmed that Lukas Nmecha will miss Leeds United’s clash with Crystal Palace on Saturday evening.

The Whites currently sit 17th in the Premier League, three points above Nottingham Forest, and have the chance to pull further clear of the relegation zone with a positive result.

Farke reported no new injury concerns to the players who featured in last weekend’s 1-1 draw with Brentford.

However, Nmecha has missed the last two matches due to a hamstring injury and his absence comes as a huge blow, having scored three goals in his previous five appearances before picking up the problem.

“Lukas is also out of the next game. He’s still a bit symptomatic,” Farke confirmed. 

Leeds’ injury list remains relatively short, however, and there was a positive update on Sean Longstaff, who has been dealing with a calf issue since the end of last month.

“He is progressing in his rehab and also doing individual stuff on the pitch, running and a little bit with a ball,” he said. 

“But the first step will be for him to be integrated into team training and then, of course, a few training sessions to be available. 

“Then, we decide, from game to game and from day to day.”

Meanwhile, Dan James faces a longer layoff after being withdrawn during Leeds’ 3-2 loss to Manchester City with a hamstring injury as well. 

“[There is] no surgery,” Farke said. “So, thank God, it’s the conservative route, but it will still be about eight weeks in total before he can return to team training. And then let’s see how quickly he can be back to full speed.”