Four assists in four Championship games neatly sum up the upturn in form Junior Firpo has demonstrated at Leeds United in 2024.
The season began in the usual fashion, with Firpo on the sidelines nursing an injury, but the left-back seized the opportunity thrown up by Sam Byram’s New Year’s Day strain.
Byram has been a revelation this season after arriving on a free transfer in the summer. The Thorp Arch academy product has played far more football than anyone could have expected based on his track record for the past seven years.
Firpo’s been shut out and watching Byram quickly become one of the most dependable, consistent performers Daniel Farke has. All the while, the two left-back rivals have been building a new relationship.
It’s generally been a case of one or the other for Farke this season, though Byram and Firpo did share a pitch for the first time this season at the bitter end of the Norwich City win. Despite that rivalry, Firpo says a friendship has blossomed.
“You can be low on confidence, you can be really sad during the spell [you’re injured], but I know the player I am,” said Firpo. “If I don’t trust myself, who will do it?
