Leeds UnitedstarNoah Okaforseemed to contradict Daniel Farke when it comes to his fitness
The Switzerland international spoke about his condition after he made his first appearance of pre-season
The Whites were defeated on penalties by Manchester United at Croke Park after a 1-1 draw on Wednesday evening
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The 26-year-old played 45 minutes against the Old Trafford outfit after returning to training last week following his World Cup involvement
Farke will be hoping that the former AC Milan man can have a similar impact to his eight-goal campaign last season in the Premier League
However, he did not sound confident that he would make the opener against Nottingham Forest
What did Daniel Farke and Noah Okafor say about his fitness?
Farke spoke about the winger’s condition after the game, and he seemed to admit that he would not be ready against Oliver Glasner’s side
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He said: “He needs time to be there at full fitness
“It’s important he has a proper pre-season. He’s been with us a few days and, from a rational side, a start at Nottingham comes too soon, but let’s see how quick we can get him fit.”
However, Okafor seemed to say the opposite when he spoke to the media after the game, breaking his silence on the issue
In quotes reported by the BBC, the attacker said: “I need a few more days to work on my fitness… then when it starts I am ready.”
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His involvement at the City Ground on 22 August may well come down to the wire
Daniel Farke will breathe sigh of relief over Noah Okafor decision, even if it makes no senseWhat did Okafor’s performance in Leeds’ friendly with Man United tell us?
Okafor completed 90 per cent of his passes against Michael Carrick’s side, with two in the final third, per Fotmob data
He had a total of 14 touches in the contest, created one chance and completed 100 per cent of his two dribble attempts
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He even contributed defensively, making three recoveries and winning 100 per cent of his three ground duels in Dublin
Those numbers suggest that he will be ready to go, and that the boss may well be playing mind games to try and trick the Reds ahead of the game
The Peacocks have one more friendly left, against Bundesliga side FC Augsburg, and Okafor’s minutes in that clash, may well tell all about his fitness
In an ideal world, he would return for the first league game at the season, but it will down to Farke and the medical team to decide whether that is a realistic option
If it turns out to be too soon, then so be it, it would be better to rest him, than risk him getting a serious injury and missing a huge portion of the campaign
