Leeds will have to cope without Joe Rodon for the next three weeks, at least.
The Welshman was the subject of two brutal challenges from Brian Brobbey and Simon Adingra during the 1-1 draw at Sunderland, which ultimately forced him off the pitch after just 31 minutes.
Leeds fans will understandably blame the reckless Sunderland duo for injuring Joe Rodon – but Lucas Perri and Jaka Bijol are also responsible for what happened at the Stadium of Light.
Lucas Perri and Jaka Bijol completely ignored Joe Rodon before the Leeds United No.6 was forced off
Before Brobbey and Adingra left their studs in the Wales international’s right ankle, he could quite clearly be seen telling his teammates not to pass him the ball on both occasions.
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In the seventh minute, Rodon was under pressure from Brobbey and visibly held his hand up to tell Perri not to give him the ball, but the Brazilian inexplicably did so anyway.
It meant the Leeds No.6 had little time to control the ball and clear it, giving Brobbey motivation to close him down and ultimately leave a late challenge on Rodon, bending his ankle in doing so.
Just 17 minutes later, a similar situation presented itself as Bijol found himself in possession.
Rodon – who James Justin might replace – was to his right, but again, could be seen holding his hand up as Adingra anticipated a pass and began to press.
It led to the exact same situation where the 28-year-old was once again put in a difficult position, with practically no time or space to do anything useful with the ball.
The second challenge from Adingra ended up being too much for Rodon to shake off, as Ao Tanaka replaced him in the 31st minute.
Despite smiling and joking with Dominic Calvert-Lewin on the bench towards the end of the game, the Swansea-born defender will surely be irked that both Perri and Bijol ignored his signals, leading to him damaging ankle ligaments.
The presence of Dominic Calvert-Lewin means Leeds United can afford to be more direct
These aimless passes to Rodon should irk Leeds fans even more when you consider just how talented Calvert-Lewin is at holding the ball up.
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On several occasions, the England international emerged from nowhere to bring a long ball down on his chest, head it to a teammate or even create a chance, with one freakishly good touch putting Brenden Aaronson in on goal during the opening 45 minutes.
It means there is no need for Leeds to aimlessly pass around the back and put teammates like Rodon in tough positions – hopefully, Perri and Bijol learn from what happened, and give more consideration to their passing going forwards.
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