Leeds United had a noticeable name missing from the squad on Monday night in Pascal Struijk, and Phil Hay has revealed why he was not involved against West Ham United.

The latest on Struijk

The Athletic journalist spoke to Whites manager Marcelo Bielsa following the defeat at London Stadium and updated followers on Twitter that "Struijk had a knock".

This is a worrying update from Bielsa

Struijk brings versatility to the squad and we saw this during a time when Diego Llorente and Robin Koch both suffered injuries (the latter is not back yet), as the young Dutchman provided Leeds with cover and showed he could do a job in the back line. He has also played in defensive midfield when Kalvin Phillips was injured (Transfermarkt).

In his 17 appearances in the Premier League this term, he has been a solid defensive-minded player as he has averaged two successful tackles, two interceptions and 2.7 clearances per game (WhoScored). His averages for the latter two metrics are beaten only by Liam Cooper among his team-mates (WhoScored).

Gerry McNamee from the LS11 podcast piled praise on Struijk a few weeks ago as he said: “I think with [Marcelo] Bielsa, you’ve got to earn your place back and we probably don’t mention him so much because he doesn’t put a foot wrong, his passing, his interceptions everything else in the last two games, he’s been excellent.”

With the Dutch youngster impressing so highly, it is worrying to hear Hay's update about him having a knock, with no indication of the nature or duration of the injury. Hopefully it does not see him ruled out for a lengthy period.

In other news, one Leeds prospect has seen his good performances receive notable recognition - have a read here!