Here are the latest Leeds United evening headlines on Friday, May 20.
Ayling undergoes surgery for long-standing knee problem
Earlier today, Leeds confirmed that Luke Ayling underwent surgery for a knee issue that had been troubling him since September. It was decided at the time that a short-term fix would be best as it would still allow the 30-year-old to continue playing.
However, after his red card at Arsenal curtailed his season early as well as the upcoming summer break, the decision to have ‘more definitive’ surgery was taken by the medical team at the club. Jesse Marsch confirmed that the timeframe for his return will be between two and four months.
As that could mean he misses the beginning of the 2022/23 campaign, the Whites may have to look at bringing in another right-back in the summer.
Read more: Every word Jesse Marsch said on Brentford, Bamford, relegation scenario, Leeds United future
Marsch unsure of Bamford inclusion at Brentford
Had Leeds had Bamford fit for more games this season, the end of this season would likely have been very different and a lot less stressful. Last season’s top goalscorer has made just nine Premier League appearances this term.
His last performance came in the 3-2 win at Wolves in mid-March in which he left the pitch in tears with yet another injury in the first half. After not being fit enough to be involved in the last few games, Jesse Marsch wasn’t sure if he’d be at the required level for Sunday’s trip to Brentford despite impressing in training.
"Patrick Bamford has looked really good this week," he said in his pre-match press conference. "We still haven't made a final decision on exactly where he'll stand for the moment on Sunday, but he had a day off today, inside to recuperate effectively, but we're hopeful that we can make the decision in the next couple of days that we can make him available for minutes on Sunday."
Read more here.
Final-day challenge detailed by supercomputer’s relegation prediction
Leeds’ hopes of maintaining their Premier League status was dealt a blow on Thursday evening as Burnley moved into 17 th with their point at Villa Park. The two sides go into the final day level on points but, because of the inferior goal difference, the Whites must better the result of their relegation rivals to ensure survival.
Sports forecasting website FiveThirtyEight are giving Marsch and his side just a 24% chance of moving above the Clarets on Sunday in their most recent Premier League prediction. That gives Burnley a 76% chance of survival which highlights the size of the task facing Leeds at the Brentford Community Stadium.
Read more here.
