Tyler Adams looks set to miss a sizeable chunk of Leeds United’s Premier League run-in. That’s according to The Athletic, who report the midfielder has been forced to have surgery on the troublesome hamstring injury he picked up earlier this month.
The 24-year-old sustained the problem in the build-up to United’s clash with Wolves at Molineux and it was enough to see him pull out of the USA squad. However, after going under the knife, he looks set for a lengthy lay-off as he begins his rehabilitation programme.
It comes as a huge blow for Javi Gracia, who will have been hoping to see Adams play a key role in helping Leeds avoid relegation from the Premier League. The Spaniard will be assessing his options for the coming weeks, though, as he prepares his side for the trip to Arsenal on Saturday and while Adams’ absence will inevitably be felt, Gracia will be feeling confident about his side’s ability to cope without him.
Read more: Leeds United dealt huge Tyler Adams injury blow as midfielder 'undergoes surgery'
Leeds fans have already seen the midfield partnership that looks the most obvious moving forward, with Weston McKennie and Marc Roca featuring together at Wolves. The pair, starting as a midfield duo for the first time, struggled to take control of the contest against Julen Lopetegui’s side, and as individuals their form has been up and down of late.
Gracia, though, will be hoping they can settle in quickly next to each other and build up something of a partnership in the middle. Of course, on paper, they seem to complement each other with both players being able to offer something different.
Roca seems to pride himself on his passing ability, something we could start to see more of as he gets more minutes under the Spaniard, while McKennie is known for his work rate and running, despite producing the defence-splitting pass that set up Ricardo Pepi’s winner for the USA on Monday night.
If all goes well and the pair progress together, Leeds fans can expect to see Roca and McKennie playing in the middle for as long as Adams is on the sidelines. That’s not to say Gracia doesn’t have other options, though.
Darko Gyabi has been one of the stand out stars of the Under-21s campaign so far, with his talent and class on the ball shining through in abundance. The 19-year-old has only made one Premier League appearance so far, coming in December against his former club Manchester City, but he’ll be working hard in training to catch the head coach’s eye in the coming weeks.
Of course, it’s always difficult to blood youngsters in the midst of a relegation battle, but his considerable talent makes him an option. The same can be said for Sam Greenwood, who hasn’t featured anywhere near as much as he would have liked under Gracia.
In fact, the former Arsenal man has picked up just 10 minutes of action since the Spaniard’s arrival and he has been forced to drop into the youth side on two or three occasions of late in order to get some much needed game time. Greenwood is more of an attack-minded player, of course, and would be perhaps better suited to the number 10 role, but he can play deeper and his delivery from dead ball situations is an asset.
Adam Forshaw is the only other experienced option within the squad, but he hasn’t been considered fit enough to be involved since December and Gracia has been unwilling to provide a clear update on his fitness when asked in press conferences. If Forshaw can get himself in a position to have a say on Leeds’ season over the coming months, though, he can give the head coach food for thought.
We have seen the likes of Brenden Aaronson, Max Wober and Pascal Struijk play in the middle in the past, while Archie Gray has been included in several of Gracia’s matchday squads, but neither are considered ideal options. There is always the chance that the head coach could look to move forward with a midfield three and that would certainly open the door for one of all the above names to slot in alongside McKennie and Roca.
Gracia has a few more days to mull over his options before Saturday’s trip to Arsenal comes. Whoever he selects, though, will be given the thankless task of stepping up and helping to fill the huge void left by the American.
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