Leeds United manager Daniel Farke will resist 'unnecessary risk' vs Coventry despite recent difficulty

Debayo arrived from Watford as a 16-year-old and has gradually progressed through the age groups with Leeds, first appearing for the Under-18s, then Under-21s before being named on the senior bench for the first time this season.

In five of Leeds' last six outings, the teenager has been an unused substitute having participated in Farke's pre-season schedule throughout the summer, which suggests a professional debut is not far off.

With Max Wober ruled out this weekend and Pascal Struijk listed as Leeds' biggest doubt, Debayo's inclusion in the starting line-up is a distinct possibility, even if the likely scenario is Ethan Ampadu dropping back into central defence and reprising the role he fulfilled during the second half of last season alongside Joe Rodon.

Farke said as much on Thursday in his pre-match press conference: "We would also have other options [than Ampadu]. I'm pretty pleased with James Debayo and his development. It is a proper solution to play with Joe and Ethan, they were impressive last season."

Whilst this latest public show of faith may indicate a senior debut is in the offing for the London-born defender, this weekend's opponents are probably not the side Farke would like to thrust Debayo up against.

Coventry have retained two of the division's more imposing attackers in United States international Haji Wright and Ellis Simms, both of whom gave Leeds trouble at the back when these two teams met at the Coventry Building Society Arena back in April.

Simms and Wright each found themselves on the scoresheet in that match and gave centre-half pairing Rodon and Ampadu their sternest test of 2024 to date.

To take a risk on Debayo, whose tall but wiry teenage frame is not yet a match for the brawn of the Sky Blues' front two, in order to retain balance in the middle by keeping Ampadu as the 'deep six', seems unnecessary. It is for that reason we're unlikely to see Debayo take his first steps in men's football this afternoon, but in the event of an injury during the game, Farke has already demonstrated his faith and the regard in which the 19-year-old is held at Thorp Arch.

It is feasible to suggest Debayo is the fourth-choice centre-back at the club, after Rodon, Struijk and Wober, or perhaps even fifth if emergency case Ampadu is taken into consideration. While recently-departed Charlie Cresswell left Elland Road dissatisfied with his 315 senior minutes last season, Debayo is much younger than the fellow Thorp Arch graduate and more likely to settle for the equivalent of three-and-a-half 90 minutes' worth of action in his first campaign as a professional.

In short, Debayo is likely to play some part before his 20th birthday next summer, particularly as he has featured only once for Leeds' U21s this season, further supporting the belief Farke sees him as a member of his first-team squad.