Former Leeds United striker Noel Whelan has backed midfielder Adam Forshaw to fill in as a reliable deputy to Kalvin Phillips moving forward.
The Lowdown: Forshaw back after injury nightmare
Forshaw was a key player for Leeds when they were in the Championship, making 31 league appearances back in 2018/19.
Unfortunately, the 30-year-old has suffered a nightmare time of things with injury, missing close to two years of action with a serious hip problem.
Forshaw is now back in the fold, however, appearing five times this season and producing a 'good cameo' away to Norwich City on Sunday, according to journalist Phil Hay on Twitter.
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The Latest: Whelan makes key claim
Speaking to Football Insider, Whelan tipped Forshaw to continue to be ideal cover for Phillips in central midfield as the season progresses:
"Yeah, I think so. We’ve still got to be mindful he’s had a really bad injury. He was out for two years, it’s not like two months.
"A little bit of cotton wool round him, just easing him in. Giving him the right amount of minutes, in the right games and situations.
"If Kalvin does suffer any more injuries, he probably is the one that you look at, to step into that role. So it’s very important that we manage him.
"I’m sure he’ll be expressing his fitness levels and how he’s feeling to the medical staff and the manager as well. It’s important that they all work together on Adam.
"Keep him fit, keep him out there on the training ground, keep him playing certain minutes of football. It will hopefully, steadily, get him back to where he was before the injury."
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The Verdict: Hard to rely upon
While it is heartwarming to see Forshaw back fit - Whelan has hailed him as 'excellent' in the past - Leeds could still do with signing another midfielder to rival Phillips.
Given the severity of his injury, it is hard to rely on him staying fit for long periods, even though he is currently injury-free and impressing.
In an ideal world, Forshaw will carry on being a reliable squad member for a number of years, but it would be risky to trust him as Phillip's main backup after his major injury setbacks.
In other news, Phil Hay has provided an update on Marcelo Bielsa's future. Read more here.