Leeds United manager Jesse Marsch has indicated that he sees Ipswich Town target Leif Davis as a potential solution at left-back after it was confirmed that Junior Firpo will miss the start of the 2022/23 season due to injury. 

The League One club have been linked with a move for Davis and are said to be willing to pay in excess of £1 million should it be required.

But it now looks unlikely they'll be able to prize him away from the Elland Road outfit.

Stuart Dallas is already sidelined for an extended period and Firpo has now been ruled out for around two months, which means Davis could be Marsch's first-choice left-back for the start of the new Premier League campaign.

Speaking to The Athletic, the American coach confirmed that the Ipswich target was a potential solution following the latest injury news.

He said: "We’re looking very closely at Leif Davis and we think he’s done really well.

“We have also other solutions, like Pascal (Struijk) and potentially Jack (Harrison). But in the whole process, we were always evaluating what we would need at that position.

“So obviously this highlights that a little bit more clearly and we have time, we have time.

“When it comes to recruitment, I believe that Victor Orta and Gaby Ruiz do an incredible job of looking around the world, understanding what the demands of the style of football that the manager wants to play and then providing really good possibilities as to what those players could be and what the fits could be.”

The Tractor Boys are not short at the position as Matt Penney is already part of the squad and Greg Leigh was signed when his Morecambe contract expired earlier in the summer.

The Verdict

This is bad news for Ipswich's pursuit of Davis, there is no doubt about that.

It looked as though they had a chance with the Whites running the rule over the 22-year-old in pre-season but Firpo's injury likely means that the Premier League club will not want to let him leave.

Leeds may look to sign a replacement but even then you feel Davis could be kept around as cover as Firpo is expected to be out for around eight weeks, which is beyond the end of the window.

Penney and Leigh are by no means a bad duo to enter the League One season with at left-back but missing out on the Whites defender would still be a blow.