Leeds United v Plymouth Argyle: Junior Firpo seizing his time and passing on lessons from Lionel Messi

Seasons often pan out differently to how you expect. At the start of 2023-24, Ethan Ampadu and Archie Gray looked like a central midfield partnership you would never break up by choice, Joel Piroe the goalscorer Daniel Farke would hang is hat on. If Willy Gnonto got his head right, there seemed little chance of him not being one of the top Championship players, but the suspicion was that Patrick Bamford might be past his best and, after a while, that Ilia Gruev could turn out to be a signing that just had not worked.

Beset by injuries during two-and-a-half seasons at Elland Road, Firpo has never really convinced in truth.

And yet here he is, keeping Sam Byram – who hit the ground running on his return to the club – out of a back four featuring Ampadu and Gray, protected by Gruev, as Bamford leads the line and Piroe and Gnonto watch on.

Firpo is a long way from being the best defender to wear the white shirt, but what he has given going forward and off the field is making up for it at the moment.

The way he, Bamford and Gruev have fought back into the side after barely featuring in the first half of the season should serve as an inspiration to anyone given an unexpected chance in the FA Cup on Saturday as Farke makes changes against Plymouth Argyle with Gray, Dan James and Pascal Struijk injured.

"Momentum changes quite often due to illness, injuries and sometimes you can't always be there with top consistency over 46 gamedays," says Farke. "For that you also need options on the bench who can then use the chance to inspire the group.

"The good thing with Junior and Patrick is we also have a bit more experience. Ilia Gruev is still more or less in his first steps in English football but you could sense in recent games when he had to deliver, he has proper Bundesliga experience.

"To have a bit more experience in a young squad is beneficial, especially when we are edging to the crucial moments of the season."

Firpo's experience, having previously played for Real Betis and Barcelona is amplified because he can preface even the most mundane advice with words guaranteed to prick up the ears of any footballer with anything about him – "When I played with Lionel Messi..."

"You cannot learn nothing from him," says Firpo of a player who also has things he is not great at, but far more that make him one of the greatest to kick a ball.

"He's just different, he's just the best in the world. It's like he plays in the park with friends.

"He's two, three steps ahead of everyone but what I learned (from) him is the capacity to play every three days, the mentality. Sometimes they (the great players) can look like they switch off but they want to win every game, every training session.

"That's the mentality we need here. I think we're getting there."

That experience is useless unless you can pass it on. As a 27-year-old in a side where the oldest starter is 30-year-old Bamford, Firpo aims to be a team-mate rather than a leader, but it amounts to much the same.

"Some players lead by shouting or just being around, another leads just talking to the players, everyone is different," he says. "For example you have Joe Rodon, who is a quiet guy he doesn't speak too much but you can feel he's a leader on the pitch.

"I shout a lot, I scream a lot, I am a little bit the one who is angry all the time when we lose the ball when Georgie (Rutter) does his things.

"I don't feel like a leader. I don't try to be anything just a team-mate. I help everyone if they need help."

Firpo, who has only played 61 of the 118 Leeds games since joining, is not blind or deaf to the opinions of supporters but Farke has his back.

"I know (of) criticisms from the fans, that's normal, that's football, but it hurts you a little bit and it gets your confidence down and gets everything down," admits Firpo.

"It (this spell in the team) is the longest. I know it's Championship level, not Premier League – we shouldn't be here playing to be honest – but it's where we are right now."

Farke told Firpo at the start he was part of his plans. Turns out, he meant it.

"I'm delighted for Junior and a little proud because he had difficult years and was criticised a lot but I believed in him,” he says. “I made it clear in our first conversations he's one of my key players.

"I knew about his injury CV and the main topic for him is to stay fit, stay in his rhythm and stay confident and physically resilient.

"It was difficult for him because he was out for several months after difficult years. We always backed him, we always believed in him and told him we'll wait for you until you're back.

"He has improved more or less from gameday to gameday. He's at a really good level and proves right now what he's capable to do. He's not in his best shape but on the best path to be back in his best shape.

"He's chipped in in recent weeks with many assists and many crucial forward passes and I think he has improved his defensive stability more or less from game to game."

Who knows how long it will last, but this is Firpo's time.