Ezgjan Alioski suggested on Twitter early on Sunday morning that he has kept his place in the Leeds United starting XI for their Championship showdown against Sheffield Wednesday.
Leeds make the short journey to bitter rivals Wednesday for the derby clash, which kicks off at 12.15pm at Hillsborough on Sunday.
Attacking midfielder Alioski was named in the starting XI for the ninth time in United’s 10 league fixtures this season in midweek but was substituted after 62 minutes as they fell to a 3-1 defeat.
The Macedonia international’s place in the team has been questioned by some supporters, who have expressed concern about his capacity for going to ground so easily.
But Alioksi delivered an upbeat message on his personal Twitter account four hours before kick-off as he told Leeds fans he would see them at Hillsborough in a clear signal that he will be in the starting XI.
Early birds… Looking forward to an exciting Yorkshire Derby against the Wednesday today! See you all at Hillsborough! ??????????#ea10 #mot pic.twitter.com/Dp6syktj2h
— Ezgjan Alioski (@ezgjanalioski) October 1, 2017
Thomas Christiansen’s team are fourth in the Championship heading into Sunday’s crunch match and will climb to second if they secure all three points against 15th-placed Wednesday.
OPINION
It is highly unlikely that Alioski would have posted such an upbeat message if he had lost his starting place in Christiansen’s side. But supporters will be looking for one of their headline summer signings to make more of an impact against Wednesday than he did when he went AWOL in Cardiff. The 25-year-old has a hammer of a left foot and can create as well as score goals but he must get used to the physicality of the Championship and stay on his feet far more readily than he has been doing.