Leeds United face Crystal Palace on Monday night and will want to put the Everton loss behind them. However, Phil Hay has provided a worrying injury update on Rodrigo and Ian Poveda.
The latest on the Leeds duo
Following Bielsa’s press conference in the build up to the game on Monday, Hay reported: “Latest from Bielsa – groin injury for Rodrigo, ankle injury for Poveda. Likely to be weeks rather than days.”
This is a blow for the club
Rodrigo was highly rated before his arrival, with former Barcelona manager Quique Setien describing him as “extraordinary” before a clash between Valencia and Barcelona last season.
In his 18 Premier League appearances for Leeds, which have included 12 starts, he has scored just three goals, but his in-game stats show that he has been a huge attacking threat; the player has managed 1.8 shots and 1.3 key passes a game so far (WhoScored).
Rodrigo has settled in nicely at Leeds, and was starting to become a consistent name in the starting eleven. He missed the Everton game, and the news that he will miss much more than that will come as a big blow to Bielsa.
Meanwhile Poveda has made 10 Premier League appearances this season, all from the bench (Transfermarkt). He is certainly more of a player who Bielsa feels could make an impact if the result isn’t going Leeds’ way. Despite him not being as important as Rodrigo, it is still a big blow to see him injured because the fixture list is heavily congested and every inch of squad depth matters.
They have both featured a fair amount this season and look to be key players under Bielsa, so the seven words that it is ‘likely to be weeks rather than days’ is definitely a worry.
In other news, Whelan has praised Radrizzani following a club update. Read more about it here!
