Soccer Football - FA Cup Third Round - West Ham United v Leeds United - London Stadium, London, Britain - January 9, 2022 West Ham United's Ben Johnson in action with Leeds United's Lewis Bate Action Images via Reuters/John Sibley
Leeds midfielder Lewis Bate suffered an injury for the Under-23s on Tuesday evening, LeedsLive’s Joe Donnohue reports.
The Lowdown: On the bench vs Norwich
Bate, who joined from Chelsea over the summer, has made two senior appearances for the Whites this season, one of which came in a 3-2 win over West Ham earlier this year.
Will Marsch keep Leeds up?
Yes, I still have faith!
No, we are finished!
The central midfielder was named on the bench by Jesse Marsch in the 2-1 victory over Norwich on Sunday and turned out at Elland Road days later for the Under-23s in a 3-0 win over Manchester United.
The Latest: Elland Road injury
Donnohue shared a live blog of the Premier League 2 fixture on Tuesday evening, with Stuart McKinstry, Max Dean and Archie Gray getting on the scoresheet.
However, there was some bad news on the injury front, with Donnohue reporting that Bate went down twice and had to be helped from the field just before the hour mark, with Gray taking his place.
The Verdict: Phillips to replace him?
It has since emerged that Kalvin Phillips may make a return to the matchday squad against Wolves on Friday, so he could actually replace Bate on the bench at Molineux.
Marsch didn’t appear to address Bate’s injury in his pre-Wolves press conference, but it is a worry for the midfielder, who has made 19 appearances for the Under-23s this season.
Hopefully, his problem isn’t serious and he can be back playing soon, but you’d expect he won’t be with the travelling party heading to the Midlands, especially after Adam Pope suggested the teenager picked up a ‘small knock’.
In other news: Adam Pope: Leeds and Marsch may now be handed transfer embargo this summer as news emerges.
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