Daniel Farke clarifies Melvin Bard injury following Leeds Carabao Cup exit

Leeds manager Daniel Farke confirmed that defender Melvin Bard suffered from cramping during the club's 6-3 loss to Chelsea in the Carabao Cup. Despite Leeds holding a two-goal lead early in the contest, the team surrendered the advantage as Chelsea mounted a comeback. Farke utilized the fixture to rotate his squad, providing increased minutes to players who had seen limited action in recent months. The manager stated that his decision to substitute Bard was necessitated by the player's physical condition rather than a long-term injury concern. Farke intended to deploy Jean-Mattéo Bahoya late in the match to introduce more attacking risk, but the substitution was forced to change to Gabriel Gudmundsson after Bard reported he could not continue.

• 10:10 AMYahoo Sports — Farke explains why defender was forced off against Chelsea