Leeds United still have to wait until next Monday before Daniel Farke’s side are in action again when The Whites go up against Sunderland at Elland Road, first taking on fourth.
Leeds remain top of the pile after the last round of fixtures after all four sides picked up wins. The Whites easily saw off Watford with a 4-0 away win, before the other three sides were in action on Wednesday.
Sheffield United, Burnley and Sunderland were all victorious against Middlesbrough, Hull City and Luton Town. With 14 games to go, the promotion race is hotting up and Leeds are currently in the driving seat.
But the next two games will play a key role in determining where Leeds finish. They first host Sunderland before going to Sheffield United, and Regis Le Bris has already been discussing the upcoming match.
Regis Le Bris says if Ian Poveda will be available for Sunderland
It has been a difficult season for Ian Poveda, after completing a free transfer to Sunderland from Leeds in the summer. The Colombia international has managed just five senior appearances for Le Bris’ outfit.
But it comes after a successful half-season loan spell at Sheffield Wednesday last term. Poveda did return in the game prior to Wednesday’s win over Luton, coming off the bench for 30 minutes against Watford.
Le Bris says that Poveda was unavailable against Luton due to “internal reasons” but is hopeful to take on his old side come Monday night, in what will be Poveda’s first return to Elland Road since leaving Leeds.
“Ian wasn’t available for selection. It was good news for Jenson because after a long, long injury – he was ready,” the Sunderland manager said. Le Bris was actually linked with Leeds before Daniel Farke took over.
“Ian isn’t injured,” Le Bris told The Echo.” Wasn’t available for selection for internal reasons. I don’t have to comment on that reason. At the end he wasn’t available. Hopefully he will be able to return to Monday.”
How many games did Ian Poveda play for Leeds United?
Joining Leeds on a free from Man City in January 2020, midway through Marcelo Bielsa’s promotion season, Poveda remained on the books at Elland Road for four and a half years – but didn’t play much.
The tricky winger managed just 30 games for Leeds, failing to score once and going on loan to Blackpool and Blackburn, the latter of which saw him break his leg. A resurgence under Farke came and went.
Poveda is yet to get going, to turn potential into quality. Injury is having an impact, and there have been murmurs regarding his attitude over the years – perhaps, this is part of the “internal” issue at Sunderland.
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