'Intense' - Leeds United man on truth behind Elland Road battle amid positive fitness news

Leeds United defender Rasmus Kristensen has discussed the ‘intense’ competition for places at Elland Road after overcoming a small foot injury.

The Danish international missed last month’s 5-2 defeat at Brentford and was braced to lose his place at right-back to teammate Luke Ayling, who himself was returning from a lengthy spell on the sidelines.

September’s postponed fixtures against Nottingham Forest and Manchester United allowed Kristensen to reclaim his spot on the right-hand side of defence after head coach Jesse Marsch was impressed by the Dane’s performance for his country against France.

With youngster Cody Drameh also waiting in the wings and impressing at Under-21 level following his fruitful loan spell at Cardiff City last season, competition for inclusion in Marsch’s starting line-up each week is ‘intense’ according to the 25-year-old Kristensen.

“It’s definitely intense, [the] quality,” Kristensen told the BBC. “I mean, the way it should be at a Premier League club, quality in every position, we can change, we can play with different types of players, we can do a lot of things and at the end of the day, I think it's going to make everybody better and I think it's beneficial for the club, which is always the most important thing is that we as a club, do well and succeed, that we can look up and not down in the table.”

The aforementioned Drameh was substituted with a knock late on Tuesday night as the Under-21 side were victorious over Tranmere Rovers in the EFL Trophy. Jesse Marsch stated the youngster was ‘fully healthy’ after an assessment the following day.

Nevertheless, Kristensen is expected to retain his place in Marsch’s XI this weekend as Leeds visit Crystal Palace in the Premier League, looking to record their first win on the Eagles’ home turf since 2006.