Javi Gracia has told Thursday’s press conference – as per the Leeds United YouTube channel – that he is unsure whether Leeds midfielder Tyler Adams will play again this season, and the club are taking it “day by day”.
Adams, 24, picked up the hamstring injury prior to the international break. It saw the summer signing miss the 4-2 win over Wolves at Molineux, and then remain in Yorkshire instead of travelling to play for the United States MNT.
It was unclear the state of his injury until reports this week from Phil Hay stated that Adams had undergone surgery to fix the issue. Of course, going under the knife meant Adams would be sat on the sidelines for a longer period.
Gracia returned to his managerial duties this week and on Thursday afternoon, held his pre-match press conference ahead of the trip to Arsenal on Saturday. The Spaniard, who has started well, responded when asked about Adams.
Clearly, Gracia is unsure whether Adams will play again this season: “Tyler, we will see his evolution. But after the surgery, we can see if he will play any games this season. It is day by day,” the Leeds manager said on Thursday.
Gracia responds when asked about injury to Leeds midfielder Adams
Without Adams in the middle of the park, Leeds do have options. Marc Roca and Weston McKennie combined well against Wolves to stop the likes of Mario Lemina, Joao Gomes and Ruben Neves. But, the lack of depth is an issue.
Indeed, Leeds are also without long-term absentees Adam Forshaw and Stuart Dallas. Next in line are Archie Gray and Darko Gyabi – but they have three senior appearances between them. Sam Greenwood can drop into midfield.
But a fight against relegation and certainly, Saturday’s trip to Arsenal is going to be made all the more difficult with Adams sat watching the game from afar. A real blow to our chances of securing Premier League survival this term.
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