Sunderland v Leeds United: Why Daniel Farke is not stressing about Harry Wilson

Last season, the Wales international registered 10 goals and seven assists in the Premier League - a total of 17 direct goal involvements. Only eight players recorded more.

The 29-year-old was one of the division's leading providers at former club Fulham in 2025-26. He outperformed his expected-goals figure by 4.2, with only Antoine Semenyo and Junior Kroupi recording a greater differential.

It is the sort of data which pricks the attention of rival clubs, more especially when your contract is running down.

Wilson's numbers so far this term are consistent, but not in a good way. No goals and no assists, with just one Premier League start so far.

Mitigating factors exist, most notably a couple of niggling injuries.

It is still fair to say that Wilson's United career awaits a catalyst moment. His top-flight history suggests it will come.

It remains to be seen if he gets his chance on Wearside on Sunday, with Leeds sweating over the fitness of three offensive players including two creators in Noah Okafor and Anton Stach. Dominic Calvert-Lewin is also a doubt.

Whether Wilson features or not, his manager's words - not just about his aptitude but attitude - suggest he will have a role to play this season.

Boss Daniel Farke said: "I think he's had a bit of a difficult start, but it's also quite normal.

"Of course, he's a quality player, but the fact is that right now, he is also in new surroundings. And more or less, he played five years for Fulham.

"He was always a player capable of scoring goals, providing an assist and being very creative with a final decisive pass or creating a piece of magic with his left foot. And it's also fair to say that he came into a new set-up where we play also a different type of way to Fulham in the last years.

"They often played a 4-4-2 against the ball. He was often on the right wing. He could not 'hide', but defend with perhaps less intensity that he would have to do right now in our setup.

"He has to deliver more defensive work, pressing, and work against the ball. And he's trying to adapt to these necessities.

"Because it's not like we as a team have to adapt to Harry's skills; it's the other way around. If he comes in, it's more like he has to adapt a bit to our style, so more or less the team shines.

"I'm pretty pleased with what he did in pre-season. He worked so hard on his fitness level. Also in the first games, he was in out for three weeks with injuries and missed a few games.

"Right now, I think his intensity and workload against the ball is on a way better level in comparison to how it was when he arrived. But on the flip side, when you have to work more against the ball, sometimes it leads a bit that the little bit of energy and concentration and tidiness in possession is not there. He's working hard in training and just the final piece is missing.

"But he's been top class and a, top, top teammate. Especially because once you have played a season like like last season, he was so much in the spotlight. You can have the tendency as a player to come around more like a bit ‘big time’ as a superstar, but it was completely the other way around from the first day.

"Everyone loved him from the first day. Obviously, the Welsh connection, of course, makes it a bit easier for him. But he has the Leeds mantra, 'side before self', more or less exactly within him."

Another mantra at Leeds, certainly with Farke's Leeds, is to respect opponents.

They face a Sunderland side who must cope with the price of success last season. Three days on from a Europa League fixture in Poland, they are back in top-flight action.

The Wearsiders lost at Bournemouth last weekend, following a short turnaround after their first European date since 1973. Their early league form has been poor, but Farke is reading little into that.

He continued: "Of course, the second year after promotion is often a bit difficult, especially once you have also the additional load from Europe.

"I'm pretty sure they won't finish in the position they are currently in. And for that, I also expect a highly motivated home team.

"You could also tell by their line-up and substitutions during the week that their focus was already more or less on our game.

"They played a brilliant last season, but you sometimes have spells when you have three or four games on Premier League level that don't go to your plan.”