Leeds United's Premier League progress will have no impact on Daniel James' injury return

Leeds are at Bournemouth on Wednesday knowing victory would open an 11-point gap over Tottenham Hotspur, who have 15 to play for.

But even were things to take a turn for the worst, manager Farke is unwilling to take a risk with the injury-prone winger, despite having brought Joe Rodon back ahead of schedule and leaving the door open for Anton Stach to play in Sunday's FA Cup semi-final.

James has played 485 minutes (plus stoppage time) in all club competitions since Good Friday 2025.

"He needs session after session right now," insisted Farke.

"If you have a player like Joe Rodon who has an injury with a very similar timeframe but Joe has played more or less 30 games in a row at this level then it's easier to handle a situation once you're out for two weeks.

"But if you have a year like DJ being out for months at the end of last season and more or less always injured during the whole season then you need training session after training session.

"Since I signed for this club he has always been a key player for me and is a key player for me but I also have to adapt a bit to the reality.

"In terms of training availability he is the player with the lowest availability from all my players in the last three months. And even before there were several injuries.

"So what he needs desperately is training session after training session, not just one or two good sessions, to come into his rhythm.

"It's a bit unlucky he comes back into a period when we don't have many training sessions due to the run of games and lots of travelling.

"It is not depending on results that we can bring him in earlier after good results because the pressure is a bit away or we need to bring him in earlier once we are a bit more under pressure.

"It always depends on how he progresses with his body and his training ability."

Rodon has reported no reaction to his cameo from the bench against Wolverhampton Wanderers, his return from an ankle injury, and Farke has no fresh concerns ahead of the trip to the south coast.

Midfielder Stach, who also injured his ankle in the FA Cup quarter-final against West Ham United, will not feature against the Cherries, but could still play a part against Chelsea on Sunday.

"We have to decide it from day to day," explained Farke. "It's the crunch time period of the season for the Cup but also for the league.

"Normally this injury would be just realistic to be back available in May but we're heading into the end of April and every day that we get him back earlier is good.

"It's a question of days and not weeks anymore.

"Definitely not before Bournemouth, but it would be good to have him back as soon as possible after.

"But I don't want to put additional pressure on him or the medical department. It makes no sense. He has to be fit and 100 per cent."

None of the other teams trying to avoid the third Premier League relegation spot play in midweek, but all will catch up at the weekend.