Late on Monday, December 4, Colombia revealed via their official Twitter account that Poveda would be playing for them in a 21-man team against Mexico and Venezuela.
Due to the early start time of the second of those games on December 17, Poveda will be unable to play for United against Blackburn Rovers, Sunderland, and Coventry City.
In an unexpected turn of events, Colombia later shared a photo of Poveda participating in training on Monday, December 4.
Six league appearances
All attention was meant to be on club football until March following the international breaks in September, October, and November.
Nonetheless, Colombia scheduled friendly matches outside of the designated international windows, and Poveda seemed delighted to receive the invitation.
Luis Diaz and Jefferson Lerma, among other notable names, are conspicuously absent from the Colombian team.
According to FIFA regulations, teams are not required to release players before or after the deadlines specified by FIFA.
Poveda has played six league games this season, but he is not a fixture in Leeds’ first team, so his absence won’t be felt too much.
It is currently anticipated that he will make a comeback in time for the crucial fixture on December 23 against Ipswich Town.
Even though the timing is not perfect, Poveda’s choice to represent his nation must be honoured.
In a related development:
Leeds United: Daniel Farke shares ‘fantastic’ talks with Paraag Marathe
In an effort to bring stability to Elland Road, 49ers Enterprises chairman Paraag Marathe and Daniel Farke had a pleasant meeting, according to Farke.
The club’s manager expressed his happiness that all of the employees are working towards the same long- and short-term objectives and are in agreement.
In addition, Farke said that he trusts Marathe’s work behind the scenes and that his talks with the chairman have helped him stay focused on his role with the players.
“In the beginning, when we had the initial talks, obviously a lot because I wanted to see the whole picture and also how they want to lead the club, which way, which values, and which processes,” Farke said in an interview with Leeds Live on December 5.
“I had a very positive gut feeling about this and we had a lot of the same beliefs and points of agreement.
Additionally, how to provide the club stability and, ideally, mid- and long-term success as opposed to merely short-term success. We are all in agreement that sustainability and what we want to achieve are equally important as short-term goals.
“We found, and are still finding, a really good balance between being in touch and speaking about some general things, but I still have the time and the energy to concentrate on the daily work.
“Paraag leads this club in a general way. It’s fantastic to have those people around. This club is really blessed with lots of quality people. At the moment we just have to make sure, further on, we are there with the right decisions.”
Positivity breeds positivity
An enormous plus for any football team is good communication between the chairman and the manager. It was vital for Leeds to establish that link between the different tiers of the team following the 49ers’ summer takeover and Marathe’s appointment.
The manager may keep his attention on leading the team on the pitch without worrying about happenings behind the scenes if he has faith in those in higher positions to carry out their duties and achieve the best interests of the squad.
Everyone at the club will feel more upbeat as a result of Farke’s glowing remarks about his chairman and their relationship, since they can feel more certain that the club is moving forward together and that Leeds’ best interests are being prioritised.
It is a very good moment to be at Elland Road for everyone connected to the club, with excellent working relationships between all tiers of the organisation and success continuing on the pitch.