Daniel Farke praises Leeds United's unseen heroes for unprecedented good news on injuries

Stuart Dallas – out since April 2022 with a broken leg – is the only player unavailable for Wednesday's Championship visit of Swansea City.

So it looks like Leeds will be well placed to utilise a deep squad in the month-long period up to and including New Year's Day when the Whites play eight league matches.

"I have not experienced such a situation," said Farke, who has managed before in England with Norwich City, and in the more sensible German and Russian leagues. "The credit goes to our support staff because they're doing outstanding work but also to the players.

"We speak a lot about how important it is to be disciplined in terms of the way you live, the way you eat, the way you sleep, of good behaviours.

"If there is a knock or a foul in the game, like the one Daniel James suffered in the last game that left him pretty swollen and bloody, you can't avoid this because it's competitive sport.

"But we have to make sure we keep the numbers out to the lowest possible level."

Injuries have been a big feature at Elland Road in recent seasons with Marcelo Bielsa’s intense training methods taking their toll on what was then a deliberately thin squad.

Luck has played a part this season, with the effects of Lee Peltier's tackle on James in the 1-1 draw with Rotherham United quickly shrugged off, but there is more to it.

"Lots of credit goes to our medical department, Rob (Price) and his guys are doing a fantastic job," stressed Farke. "Also our sports science, our supporting team with our chefs and nutritionists.

"Sometimes you under-estimate this but this two or three per cent can make a big difference especially at this time of the year when the pitches are getting more and more difficult and you've had three international breaks."

Farke must keep doing his bit, too, to strike the right balance.

"It's very beneficial to have the experience of what it means to be involved in the Festive period and to have a crazy amount of games and quick turnarounds, especially when human beings normally take time for their families," he said. "Christmas Day we will spend in a hotel because we have an away game (at Preston North End) on Boxing Day and then another quick turnaround.

"It's always important to find a good balance between being really focused on the work but whenever there is a chance to put the mental load down a little bit, to do this.

"If you always burn a candle from both sides, the candle is soon over.

"You have to make sure you are fresh when it comes to the crunch time next April and May and have many players we can use for that.

"We need to make some smart decisions to keep a balance between keeping the whole squad fresh and spirits high, but also not to change too much from game to game."

Georginio Rutter and Liam Cooper have recovered from the issues which took them off on Friday, when Pascal Struijk returned from a double hernia operation. Djed Spence, Joe Gelhardt and Jamie Shackleton have been building fitness.