The 5 Leeds United games Dan James will miss after injury timeline revealed - and when he could return
Daniel Farke confirmed the presence of an ankle injury for his Leeds United winger on Thursday.
Leeds United winger Dan James could miss the next five Premier League games after picking up an ankle injury in training.
Reports of an injury for the winger surfaced earlier this week with Wales boss Craig Bellamy confirming the presence of an ankle problem, having named James in his 26-man squad for the October international break. Leeds later explained further assessments were underway with clarity expected to come during Daniel Farke’s Thursday press conference.
The Leeds boss sat down with the media on Thursday lunchtime ahead of Saturday’s Elland Road meeting with Tottenham Hotspur, providing a mixed bag of injury news. Goalkeeper Lucas Perri was back in team training but is still unavailable, as is Willy Gnonto - who is still struggling with a calf problem that has kept him out for over two weeks - and James.
“Daniel James will be out for a few weeks, he's rolled his ankle sadly in training,” Farke said. “The doctors say he's likely out four to six weeks so realistically we expect him back just after the November international break. If he would be back before it would be a bonus and a surprise. It's not great news.”
A six-week timeline from Farke’s Thursday press conference would pencil James in for a return on November 13, which is at the start of November’s international break. The following Leeds fixture would be Aston Villa’s visit to Elland Road, which is currently pencilled in for Saturday November 23.
Which Leeds United games will injured Dan James miss?
Between now and then, Leeds play five Premier League games and will fancy their chances of taking points in all of them. Farke’s side host Spurs on Saturday in a game James will certainly be watching from the sidelines, before domestic football breaks up for the October international break.
James will be withdrawn from the Wales squad for that break, with Bellamy’s side due to face England in a friendly before their highly-anticipated 2026 World Cup qualifying meeting with Belgium. Leeds teammates Karl Darlow, Joe Rodon and Ethan Ampadu are all expected to feature.
After the international break, Leeds head to Championship title rivals Burnley on Saturday October 18 before hosting West Ham United the following weekend, on a Friday evening. Both sides are expected to be in and around the relegation scrap come May and so Farke will be desperate to pick up points in both fixtures.
Leeds then face a pair of potentially tricky away trips as November arrives, at Brighton and Nottingham Forest, the latter coming on October 9 - less than a week before James’ six-week maximum injury timeline. Of course, Farke suggested there was a chance his winger could return early but it would be ‘a bonus and a surprise’.
Should James progress quickly in his recovery and, for example, face just four weeks out, he could be in line to return at Brighton on Saturday November 1. But after what would be a seven-week total lay-off - he has already missed two games due to a core muscle injury - fitness and sharpness would need to be worked on.
Realistically, a two-week break from matches in November presents the best chance for James to return to first-team training and build that sharpness, without the instant demand of a weekend fixture. That would also mean the winger misses out on playing for Wales during that third break of the campaign.
Fixtures James will miss with a six-week injury timeline: Spurs (H), Burnley (A), West Ham (H), Brighton (A), Nottingham Forest (A). Potential return date: November 23 (vs Aston Villa).