Jesse Marsch reveals thoughts on internal Leeds United battles as new faces disrupt status quo

Leeds have shipped out a handful of fringe players on loan along with star men Raphinha and Kalvin Phillips this summer, but have supplemented the squad with European experience aplenty.

Brenden Aaronson, Rasmus Kristensen, Tyler Adams, Luis Sinisterra and Marc Roca all featured in European competition last season and it is hoped they can replicate those levels of performance in the Premier League this term.

Having brought in so many first-team players, competition for places within Jesse Marsch’s squad has intensified.

Those who were previously shoe-ins to start the campaign at Elland Road on the opening day are no longer guaranteed minutes.

Posed with the question of players vying for supremacy over their peers, Marsch insisted there was less focus on ‘internal competition’ within his squad and greater attention paid to instilling a strong mentality and identity of play.

"I think it's more about establishing our way of playing, our mentality, continuing to push ourselves every day to get better and better, than it is about internal competition,” he said.

"Obviously, that's [competition] always the case in professional sports. Everyone has to earn their way every day. It's same for managers. But I think that there's been really good work done by everybody and excitement for the matches.”

Competition in the middle of the park seems the fiercest with Mateusz Klich, Adam Forshaw, Tyler Adams and Marc Roca all jostling for position at the base of Leeds’ midfield.

Polish international Klich doesn’t see increased competition as necessarily a bad thing for his chances this season, though: “The last couple of years I've played every game and at a time that I was really tired playing international football and everything.

"I think it's going to be good to have rotations and more players,” he said.

Such an influx of talent at Elland Road was always likely to disrupt the status quo. Players such as Klich who featured each week may no longer be afforded the benefit of the doubt with more options at Marsch’s disposal.