Leeds United: Daniel Farke's stance that contributed to midfielder's Elland Road exit looks to have been justified: View | OneFootball

Highlights

Following their relegation from the Premier League to the Championship at the end of last season, there were plenty of players who departed Leeds United in the summer.

A number of those would leave after relatively brief stints at the club, as they looked to retain their status as top-flight players elsewhere, prompting a flurry of loan moves around Europe.

However, there are others who left the club for good, after longer spells at Elland Road, who may have been open to remaining at Leeds United in other circumstances.

Now it seems as though one of those who falls into that latter category, and may have been set to stay at the club were it for new manager Daniel Farke, is Adam Forshaw.

Why did Adam Forshaw leave Leeds United in the summer?

Forshaw joined Leeds back in the 2018 January transfer window, when the Whites paid Middlesbrough a reported £4.5million for his services.

Over the next five-and-a-half years, the midfielder would go on to make 93 appearances in all competitions for the Whites, being hampered by injuries for a significant part of his time with the club.

However, with his contract expiring at the end of last season, Forshaw would depart the club on a free transfer, having made 12 league appearances during his final campaign with Leeds.

According to the latest update from The Athletic though, the midfielder had agreed terms on a new contract to extend his stay with Leeds this summer, on reduced wages.

That though, failed to materialise, with Farke said to have wanted to see Forshaw in training before handing him a new deal, due to concerns over the midfielder's history with injuries.

As a result, with the 32-year-old himself reluctant to train without the guarantee of a contract - amid interest from other clubs - the two parties apparently decided to amicably part ways.

Now it seems as though Farke's concern about his injury history that seem to have contributed to Forshaw's exit from Leeds United in the summer, have been somewhat justified.

Was Farke right to be concerned about Forshaw's injury record?

Following his departure from Leeds in the summer, Forshaw swiftly found himself another club in the Championship.

That move saw the midfielder join Norwich City, signing a one-year deal with the Canaries, who hold the option to extend that deal by a further 12 months.

Since then however, game time has been something that Forshaw has again found rather hard to come by.

During his time with Norwich to date, Forshaw has made eight appearances in all competitions for David Wagner's side, six of which have come in the Championship, despite the Canaries having already played 18 league games this season.

Of those six outings, only two have come as a starter, while it was revealed in November that the midfielder has been ruled out for at least a month with a hamstring injury, which appears likely to keep him out for more games to come.

As a result, it seems that had Leeds given that contract to Forshaw, the injury issues that have arisen for him once again this season, would have made it hard for Farke to rely on him as an option in the centre of the park.

By contrast, the summer signings of Glen Kamara and Ilia Gruev, as well as the emergence of academy graduate Archie Gray - who could also generate a sizeable financial return in the future - has ensured Leeds instead have several reliable options to call upon in the centre of the park.

Had they elected to keep Forshaw however, there is an argument that Leeds may not have invested so considerably, and effectively in that position, something which could have backfired given the 32-year-old's ongoing injury issues at Norwich.

So with that in mind, it seems as though one the earliest calls that Farke made after taking charge of Leeds United, that would bring an end to Forshaw's time with the club, is so far proving to be the right one.