Daniel Farke has confirmed that Sean Longstaff has suffered a calf issue, and there is a chance that Leeds United fans will have to wait until the new year to see Longstaff in a Leeds shirt again.
Arguably, Longstaff has been Leeds’ best summer signing. Danny Murphy believes Leeds pulled off a coup to bring Longstaff to the club over other Premier League sides, eventually joining for just £15m.
Prediction time for Leeds v Man City
Longstaff has started 10 of Leeds’ 12 Premier League games, only coming on as a sub against Everton and Arsenal. But he was the man of the match in his first game, resulting in a draw against Newcastle.
The former Newcastle midfielder has already earned a brilliant rapport with supporters, and according to FotMob, Longstaff is the highest-rated Leeds player. Indeed, the only player with a rating above 7.00.
Sean Longstaff could be missing until the new year
On Thursday, Farke sat down with reporters and confirmed that Longstaff will be missing for four to six weeks. The midfielder has picked up a calf problem, which he sustained during the defeat to Aston Villa.
Potentially injured until the new year, Longstaff could be absent for as many as six weeks. That means the entire Christmas period without a man who is joint-first for goal involvements in the Premier League.
If Longstaff is out for six weeks from the Villa clash, Longstaff could be missing for eight matches. Man City (A), Chelsea (H), Liverpool (H), Brentford (A), Palace (H), Sunderland (A), Liverpool (A), Man United (H).
Daniel Farke shares details of Sean Longstaff’s injury
Does he start when he's fit again?
The earliest Longstaff could be back, and Newcastle reunion
That’s a pivotal period and a hugely important chunk of games that could see Longstaff miss. If missing for the full six weeks, Longstaff’s next outing could be Newcastle away, his old side, on January 7.
But if he is only missing for four weeks from the Villa clash, Longstaff might only miss five games and could be available for the trip to Sunderland on December 28. There is also the inevitable rehab period.
Farke has made it fully clear that he will only start players if they have undergone weeks of training and won’t rush recovery. It has seen Dan James and Willy Gnonto miss games. But Longstaff is a crucial player.
It will be interesting to see who replaces Longstaff on Saturday against Man City, with Anton Stach also missing and forced to observe concussion protocols. Ilia Gruev and Ao Tanaka could both come in.
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