Leeds United have a number of injury concerns in their squad heading into their vital Premier League clash with Southampton at Elland Road on Saturday.
Everton ran out 1-0 winners over Leeds at Goodison Park as the Toffees leapfrogged the Whites in the Premier League. The Saints will be welcomed to Elland Road in their next game and should the south coast club claim victory, Leeds will find themselves bottom of the league.
Michael Skubala will therefore be hoping that he can get the squad back to winning ways in front of their home crowd, yet a few injury concerns may well complicate matters for him heading into the game. Max Wober came off at half-time during the 1-0 defeat to Everton with a shoulder injury and he is now among those who are a doubt for the game.
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With that in mind, we have looked at the squad's current injury list ahead of Saturday's clash with Southampton.
Luis Sinisterra
Sinisterra came off in the first-half of the 2-2 draw with Manchester United at Old Trafford and the Colombian was absent from the squad for the 1-0 defeat to Everton.
What Skubala said (February 16): "He [Sinisterra] had a pulled muscle. He is on his way back, a bit further away than Liam [Cooper] and Marc [Roca], but he is progressing nicely."
Potential return date: February 25 vs Southampton
Pascal Struijk
Struijk was forced off shortly after Sinisterra at Old Trafford as the defender took a fierce Marcus Rashford shot to the face.
What Skubala said (February 18): “Pascal had a bit of fogginess in training yesterday so had to move back on the concussion protocol. So he couldn’t actually be involved today in the end, even though he trained yesterday. So that was difficult."
Potential return date: February 25 vs Southampton
Max Wober
Wober left the field at half-time during the game at Goodison Park due to a suspected dislocated shoulder.
What Skubala said (February 18): "Yeah, we lost Max at half-time to his shoulder. He carried on but he's really hurting. I think he popped his shoulder out which was a big move for us because we lost our left foot on that side.”
Potential return date: February 25 vs Southampton
Marc Roca
What Skubala said (February 12): “ “I think we’ve got to keep assessing. We just got to make sure that we don't do anything dangerous with the players and lose them for four or five weeks. So we've just got to make sure when they become ready that they're fully ready because we don't need any second injuries that's going to keep them out for longer with such a period of games we've got coming up.”
Potential return date: February 25 vs Southampton
Liam Cooper
Cooper was an unused substitute for the game against Everton but is making good progress back to a full recovery.
What Skubala said (February 18): “Liam was on the bench, but he’s not ready for long minutes so we were just making sure we protect him.”
Potential return date: February 25 vs Southampton
Rodrigo
Rodrigo picked up a knock late into Leeds United's FA Cup win at Accrington Stanley. With scans showing bone and ligament damage at the joint, Rodrigo has undergone minor surgery to rectify the issue.
What Marsch said (February 4): "Yeah, we’re obviously disappointed. First, as a manager, I always feel it's our responsibility to take care of these guys. So trying to manage them always physically so that they're not risking their bodies, I think we do a pretty good job of that and if you went by muscle injuries in this squad over the past year, it's been quite good.
"This one was a little bit of a contact at the top of the box right at the end of the match and it resulted in a small fracture in the bottom of his tibia. So you can't ever protect players all the way they have to play the match and you can't treat him like porcelain. Obviously, after the match, when it was 3-0 then you think ‘well, should we have not played him on the day’ but the emphasis of putting them on was to get him in Patrick playing together again so that we can continue to have the option of both of them on the pitch at the same time. But yeah, we're disappointed for Rodri."
Potential return date: Five to seven weeks
Sonny Perkins
Perkins also picked up an injury during the win over Accrington Stanley and there is has been no further word on his expected recovery time.
What Skubala said (February 16): "We've got Sonny Perkins back on the pitch, which is nice to see. So yeah, we're slowly getting some strength back in the squad which is really pleasing."
Potential return date: February 25 vs Southampton
Adam Forshaw
After his run of consistent first-team appearances over the winter break, Forshaw suffered a hip problem that has seen him out for the start of the year and will be on the sidelines for a little while longer.
What Marsch said (Jan 20): “It was more of a procedure. He had an injection to help fortify things. He's had a lot of visits to the doctor to figure out why this keeps happening and one of the things is just strengthening the area.
"And so it's about making sure we're not putting him in a situation where it's not cyclical and he's battling all the time to get out on the pitch. It's about making sure getting him to a strong place to get him back to his best."
Potential return date: Unknown
Stuart Dallas
Dallas went to Spain to complete rehab work as he continues his recovery from a fractured femur he suffered against Manchester City in April last year. He was, however, forced to undergo a second surgery to 'clean some things up'.
What Marsch said (Jan 22): " 'Stuart had a follow-up operation, too, because they thought they had a little bit of an infection, so they just cleaned that out, but he's back and feeling good.'
Potential return date: Unknown
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