Former Leeds United defender Jon Newsome has criticised Junior Firpo’s performance on Friday, questioning the defensive side of his game.
Firpo joined Leeds from Barcelona in 2021 and was considered a marquee signing for the club. However, he has failed to live up to his expectations so far.
He made his first start of the season against Rotherham recovering from a long-term knee injury injury.
And he was far from his best as he put in a poor display displaying signs of sluggishness and rustiness.
Newsome was critical of him and while he expressed the desire for him to succeed, he highlighted multiple doubts, especially regarding the defender’s ‘mediocre’ defensive capabilities.
Speaking on BBC Radio Leeds, Newsome said:
“I think the biggest thing is we do all want him to succeed. We do all want him to do well.”
“But there’s just so many parts of his game that I question, especially the defensive side of it. And I do scratch my head. I think he’s a long way off. I thought his performance was very, very mediocre at best. So yeah, poor.”
Despite a challenging start to the season which saw them win only one in five games, Farke has done well to turn things around.
His team is now 3rd in the Championship with 9 wins and 5 draws and only 3 defeats.
Can the former Norwich City manager guide Leeds back to the Premier League?