Leeds United's Noah Okafor explains cautious Swiss return before West Ham FA Cup tie | OneFootball

Noah Okafor has adopted a cautious stance on his Switzerland return after a recent hamstring issue, addressing his absence during the break.

The Leeds United winger was recalled to replace Filip Ugrinić, ending a 17-month gap between caps. Switzerland faced Germany and Norway, yet he featured in neither and was not in the squad for the latter, with the decision described as precautionary following recent injuries. The player said in a post that the approach was agreed after his comeback.

Okafor only just resumed club action, playing the final 22 minutes of the 0-0 draw at Brentford after a month out.

He reflected that the camp was enjoyable and that he backed the group in training. He added that, so soon after injury, he and staff chose not to take risks, and he hopes to rejoin the squad again soon.

Leeds will welcome the prudence, with his one-v-one threat having been missed. He is hoped to be central to the relegation fight and could be involved in Sunday’s FA Cup quarter-final against West Ham.

Several team-mates were also managed over the window. Dominic Calvert-Lewin played 32 minutes off the bench for England against Uruguay before heading back. Daniel James and Ethan Ampadu were initially rested for Wales against Northern Ireland before second-half cameos, while Brenden Aaronson had 11 minutes for the USA against Portugal and Ao Tanaka came on for Japan against England.

Source: yorkshireeveningpost.co.uk