Press news in...

Daniel Farke addresses the media ahead of Norwich City v Barnsley. Updates to come from 1.45pm.

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DF: Major injury to McGovern on his hamstring. It's not decided if he needs surgery but he will be out for probably 12 to 16 weeks, so three or four months.

DF: It's a big blow for us and for him. He's done fantastic in the games he has played and will come back as quick and strong as possible.

DF: With Tim Krul, I expected him to be back for the FA Cup game fully fit. There's been good progress and there's a slight chance he's involved tomorrow but I can't confirm it right now.

DF: We won't take any risks, that's what I can promise. Tim is experienced enough that if he says he's ready, I will start him. If not, Daniel Barden will start and be absolutely fine.

DF: Lukas Rupp won't be in the squad tomorrow. He will be involved in the build up to the FA Cup game and there's a good chance for him to feature in that.

DF: Placheta is a topic for the squad tomorrow. He was involved in our session on Wednesday back on the pitch. He's not a topic for the starting lineup, but could be for the squad.

DF: Some good news with Stiepermann. We'll stay careful with our prediction as it's a complicated illness, but he's had some good progress and been in parts of training this week. We hope to have him back for the build up to the FA Cup game.

DF: Sam Byram - we will give him all the time he needs as he's struggling to do some running stuff. Bali Mumba and Onel are ahead of Adam Idah. There's a chance in January they will be involved in training. With Adam, it will last perhaps two weeks longer but he's on a good way so more or less good news.

DF: We have no problems to name two keepers for the squad tomorrow, then it's two weeks until the next league game. It's difficult to find a proper option in January but of course we have to have a close look on the market, so expect some business if it's possible. We won't take someone to make up the numbers, they should be a reliable option and if there is we will try to pull the trigger.

DF: No problems for the game tomorrow. We send the Barnsley players our best wishes and hope they return to full fitness soon.

DF: Football is a small part of society and the pandemic is still around. You'd expect there to be COVID cases and we have to deal with it. There will be games where you can't play with your full squad. We had a false positive test previously for Stiepermann.

DF: The most important thing is to follow the protocols and if there are any doubts, we send players or staff to self isolate as that's our responsibility for the society.

DF: Supermarkets also have one or two cases with employees but they have to keep going. That's what we have to do and cheer the lives of people up, giving them something to talk about. Football is the most beautiful sport in the world.

DF: I don't see any risk for the game tomorrow. We're a bit like a role model, so we take it seriously and stick to the protocols but we keep going because life has to go on.

DF: We're more used to living with the pandemic now and are fully aware cases can happen. We're used to the processes and it's important we don't give people who have the virus that they're not wanted. Thank God, most of them don't show dangerous symptoms.

DF: If there is a positive case you have to self isolate but no one has to panic because we create a safe environment for our players. If anyone has a concern, we're open that they can come and speak to us.

DF: If we have to do a circuit breaker we have to deal with it. I trust the key people in this business. It's tricky as it's not black or white, sometimes you have to go through it with trial and error. My gut feeling is training grounds and pitches are some of the safest areas in the country because of the protocols and disciplined behaviour.

DF: During strange times, we have to pay something back in terms of cheering people up.

DF: Valerian Ismael is a great guy. I saw him for twelve months more than my family in Germany. He was a fantastic player and is doing a fantastic job. Since he arrived at Barnsley, it's been outstanding. I think they've had 30 points from 15 games which is a title-winning average. There's just one team with more points from those games... it's us!

DF: Before he joined Barnsley he called me to talk about the Championship. I was happy for him but I know the two games against his team are difficult.

DF: We want a perfect start to the year of 2021. Against QPR we were so dominant and should have won. In this sport, momentum can change quickly so there's no replacement for wins. Barnsley aren't the big favourites for winning the league but are in red hot form and have a chance to fight for the top six.

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That's all from Daniel. Happy new year one and all.

Posted By: DrDublin on January 1st 2021 at 14:21:18

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