Injuries have begun to creep in at Elland Road after the turn of the year as Marcelo Bielsa looks to finish strongly with his Leeds United side – that currently sit in an impressive 11th place with a game in hand over Arsenal. Eight players who are expected to be in and around the first team are currently sidelined through injury – but here is when we can expect them back.
Kalvin Phillips (calf)
Phillips, 24, trudged off the field of play during the 2-0 win over Crystal Palace – seemingly picking up a muscle problem which was later revealed as a calf knock. He was a doubt for the match against Arsenal – but had a chance of playing. Marcelo Bielsa’s press conference on Thursday should tell us more, but he should be fit to feature against Wolves on Friday.
Rodrigo (groin)
Players use Instagram to provide updates and the Spaniard is no different. The summer signing informed supporters that he had returned to training earlier this week having picked up a groin problem in the win over Leicester City. He could return to the starting line-up if deemed fit enough by Bielsa.
Ian Poveda (ankle)
The young winger suffered an ankle issue in a recent Under-23’s match and was helped off the pitch. He has since posted numerous updates on Instagram – lying with his ankle in the air, and then Monday’s Under-23 coverage on LUTV showed a Poveda-like figure back on the grass. A recent Q&A Live session on Instagram saw Poveda confirm he was back in training – but whether Wolves is too early, remains to be seen.
Sam Greenwood (unknown)
Greenwood posted a picture of himself over the weekend on his Instagram story, stating that he would be “soon back” – before updating fans with a second post on Wednesday, captioning it “day by day”. The post showed Greenwood with his boots on, suggesting he was back on the grass – though the injury in question is yet to be made public knowledge.
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Diego Llorente (hamstring)
Spain international Llorente has been continuously hampered by injury since joining Leeds, the latest being a hamstring problem he picked up in the early stages of the win over Newcastle. That was on January 26, and hamstring problems tend to be between two and four weeks – but with Llorente, who knows. A return could come in early March, but again, Thursday’s press conference will tell us more.
Robin Koch (knee)
There has been no update on Koch since the Germany international went under the knife on a knee injury he intially sustained against Liverpool – before worsening the issue at Chelsea. Speaking about the injury then, Koch told Bild that he hoped to be fit for the March international fixtures.
Gaetano Berardi (knee)
Fans were delighted to see the versatile defender back in training, as Leeds and Bielsa confirmed his return following almost a year on the sidelines after an ACL injury. He is expected to play for the 23’s over the course of the next few weeks, before being re-integrated into the senior side.
Adam Forshaw (hip)
It has been a nightmare for Forshaw, last playing in September 2019. But speaking to the My Conversations With The Pope podcast earlier this month, Forshaw remained hopeful that he would be able to play this season – and Bielsa has stated that when he is okay to play, it will not take him long to rediscover the required fitness to play for a Bielsa side. Promising signs.
