On Monday, Daniel Farke confirmed that he would be without five players for the trip to Norwich City and that Max Wober would need surgery – but he is not the only player to go under the knife.
Ethan Ampadu has been sidelined until the new year with a knee injury. The Leeds skipper will not need surgery, but Max Wober will as surgeons operated on the Austria star on Tuesday to correct his knee.
Manor Solomon, Dan James and Isaac Schmidt also missed the trip to Norwich with back, hamstring and glute injuries. Another injury was added on Tuesday, with Ilia Gruev coming off inside the first 20 minutes.
So, the physio room at Thorp Arch is packed as things stand even with Patrick Bamford making his return to action on Tuesday night. But there is another injury that has gone under the radar, after an operation.
Diogo Monteiro confirms shoulder surgery with Instagram post
Portugal U19 captain Monteiro has endured a difficult spell at Leeds since joining in January 2023 for £1m from Swiss side Servette. He played at senior level for Servette, but the defender is yet to play for Leeds.
This season, Monteiro is struggling for game time with the 21’s. But he did win his second start on the weekend as Leeds U21’s beat Tottenham 3-0, however Monteiro was withdrawn after just 31 minutes.
The reason for his early exit has now been made clear, with Monteiro saying he has undergone surgery on his shoulder. He said: “One more step to go. We’ll be back stronger than ever. Thanks for the support.”
Mateo Joseph, Junior Firpo and Helder Costa reply to Monteiro
It is unclear how long Monteiro will be on the sidelines and after an operation, there will be a case of the defender having to undergo rehab. Mateo Joseph, Junior Firpo, Helder Costa and other responded.
So with Wober and Monteiro undergoing surgery, and Ampadu out until the new year, the chances are that Farke may have to dip into the U21 side to bring in a young defender in his senior Leeds team.
Debayo featured regularly during pre-season and he is likely to be next in line if either Rodon or Struijk pick up injuries. Lopata-White has been in senior training, while Moore and Mullen have been involved.
Rodon and Struijk will without doubt, start on Friday night when Leeds go up against Sunderland at the Stadium of Light. Debayo will be on the bench, but a suspension or injury further reduces Leeds’ options.
Receive a digest of our best Leeds content each week direct to your mailbox
