'Happiest' Leeds United player out to put disastrous prediction and fan criticism pain in the past

Four starts in a row constitutes a significant step forward for the left-back when you consider how injuries have played merry hell with his time at Elland Road. As 2024 rolls towards the summer and the third anniversary of his arrival from Barcelona, Firpo has still played just 61 times for the Whites.

"A few months ago I did a podcast with a guy for Leeds United and obviously I told him that to come here from a different country, to a different league, everything different and to be playing in and out, having injuries - obviously I know criticisms from the fans, that's normal, that's football - but it hurts you a little bit and it's getting your confidence down and gets everything down," he said after a 1-0 win over Norwich City in which he played a full part.

The last time Firpo addressed a gathering of the local media it was the summer of 2022 and he had just played in a pre-season friendly against Blackpool at York City's ground. When asked for his feelings about his upcoming second campaign in a Leeds shirt, he let out a wry chuckle. "It can't be worse."

Famous last words, they preceded the discovery of a knee injury that kept him out of the opening six games of the 2022/23 Premier League season. He did eventually get healthy and played 19 times in the league that Leeds subsequently exited through the trapdoor.

There was no chance for Firpo to make any disastrous predictions for his 2023/24 season because he spent the summer rehabbing another knee injury. This one kept him out for weeks and when it cleared up, his hip gave him grief. When that healed, it was his hamstring. In that context it's easy to understand why this run of games has meant so much.

"It's the longest [I've been playing]," he said on Wednesday night. "I think we have a really, really good team, not just a team, really good human beings so they are helping me a lot all the staff, everything. I do my work home as well, someone helps me a lot to deal with all these things. So obviously it's the happiest that I have been."

Even the competition he faces for gametime, in the form of Sam Byram, is a source of positivity for Firpo. Byram's performance levels this season have been incredibly high, yet he too has had his injury struggles. The pair are both now fit and vying for a place in Farke's team, but the way Firpo describes it is more like a side-by-side battle than a head-to-head one.

"You can be low in confidence. You can be really sad [when injured]. I know the player I am. If I don't trust in myself who will do it? So I knew if I could stay fit, if I could get a run of games, I never knew that I will be playing like that, making assists every game, you know, it's not normal.

"But I always have confidence in me and my family always back me, all my friends and especially I have this dressing room, even my competition with Sam who is another player who suffers [with injuries], we are together, we speak every day we help each other so as I say really, really good."

Playing at any level is probably preferable to not playing because your body won't let you, but Firpo is honest enough to admit the Championship is not where Leeds should be. By making the best of a bad situation, he hopes to help change their fortunes and appears to be enjoying the challenge.

"I know it's Championship level, not Premier League - we shouldn't be here playing to be honest but it's where we are right now," he said. "I think all the team is fighting for the same. We don't want to speak about it. Everyone knows what is the target, we know what is the target. Yeah, I'm really, really happy to stay fit, to be helping the team in this period where we have a lot of games, important games, so yeah, really, really happy."