“Pressure is on” - David Prutton issues Leeds United promotion claim | OneFootball

David Prutton has been impressed with Leeds United's start to the season.

EFL pundit David Prutton is encouraged by Leeds United’s positive start to the season, but he admitted there is ‘pressure’ on Daniel Farke to deliver promotion this season.

The Whites incredibly missed out on automatic promotion despite picking up 90 points last season, and they then went on to lose the play-off final to Southampton.

That came with implications, as the club were forced to cash in on a few star players this summer, as Archie Gray, Crysencio Summerville and Georginio Rutter all moved on to the Premier League.

David Prutton praises Leeds United’s work

However, Leeds have added to their squad, and they have actually picked up more points in their first four games than they had in the previous campaign.

And, speaking on the Essential EFL podcast, Prutton explained why Leeds may have a better collective right now despite losing the influential trio, as he highlighted the good work his former club has done.

“I think in the context of losing three of your best players, the work done has been admirable.

“It’s a better start than last season, which ended up with 90 points and a play-off final, so the early signs are promising.

“Summerville and Rutter had over 50 goal contributions, and you made a profit on them, who, yes they were very good players, but they still didn’t do what they were there for, which was to get Leeds promoted. Maybe that sounds overly harsh, but take the play-off final, sometimes those players went missing.

“Hopefully, the collective now is more balanced but from Farke’s point of view, the pressure is on as he has to get promoted. That sounds cut and dried, but that’s what Leeds are in the Championship.

“Early signs are very good, plenty to like, plenty of work to do and plenty of expectation. I’m intrigued to see how they get on against Burnley and what problems they can cause them.”

Daniel Farke knows the expectations at Leeds United

The reality is that Leeds expect to be in the Premier League, so you have to agree with Prutton’s assessment here that there is pressure on the manager to deliver.

Many understood that last season was a freak in terms of the top four and the number of points they picked up, so there was some sympathy for Farke in that sense. But, that won’t be accepted again by the fans, and Farke will be aware of that.

As outlined above, they have started well, and that should excite Leeds fans, as they still have a few new players to properly integrate into the team, and, on paper, they have a squad that looks capable of winning the league.

Farke is proven at this level as well, so everything is in place for Leeds to secure a return to the top-flight, but it’s now about delivering on the pitch.

Again, many would agree that the early start has been positive, and the aim for the Yorkshire outfit will be to build momentum going into the October international break.