Leeds United boss reveals play-off second leg 'lucky charm' with early team news hint at Elland Road

James made his return to the pitch at Carrow Road last Sunday having sat out the two previous games with a torn abdominal muscle and was reason for boss Farke to be encouraged, the German said in his post-match press conference.

The Wales international has played a key role for United this term, scoring 13 times as Leeds racked up 90 points and a third-place finish in the Championship.

In recent weeks, due to injuries, form and availability, the 26-year-old has been restricted to appearances from the substitutes' bench with Willy Gnonto favoured from the start by Farke. That said, the Leeds manager says looking down the touchline and being able to call upon a player of James' experience and quality is a good feeling to have, particularly in knockout football such as the play-offs.

Asked whether James and fellow supporting cast member Jaidon Anthony can play a vital role in the second leg this Thursday, Farke responded affirmatively.

"[They can be] Very important. With Daniel [James] obviously it was a tricky situation because he had just one training session with us yesterday, one full training session and was injured for three weeks and 'til the injury is really completely healed, it will last also a while. Each and every day is beneficial for him right now."

While it sounds as though James is not quite ready to feature from the start on Thursday, Farke teased the possibility of fielding him for longer than the five minutes or so he took to the field at Carrow Road on Sunday.

"Actually my thought was just to have him a bit with us as a lucky charm, if I’m honest, because it's a good feeling if you look left to you and you think, player of calibre of Daniel James is an option on the bench. It's always good for the mood, for the confidence. But when I watch next to me in the 85th minute, I got the feeling it's perhaps a good idea to send him on the pitch and he was ready to go and then he was not scared and I’m happy that he went through this without being re-injured so for that I think it was good for his confidence and to have a few minutes in the tank."

Should Leeds make the play-off final, they will have a nine-day break between their semi-final second leg and the date at Wembley, giving James the opportunity to put together a catalogue of encouraging training performances and for the injury to fully heal.