---
title: "Leeds: Whelan reacts to Rodrigo injury"
canonical: "https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/leeds-whelan-reacts-to-rodrigo-injury/"
type: "post"
language: "en-GB"
author: "Charlie Smith"
section: "Leeds United"
published: "2021-12-15T18:40:27Z"
modified: "2021-12-15T18:40:27Z"
---

# Leeds: Whelan reacts to Rodrigo injury

**Former Leeds man and pundit Noel Whelan has been reacting to Rodrigo’s heel injury, [Football Insider](https://www.footballinsider247.com/whelan-bemoans-another-setback-for-rodrigo-after-bielsa-latest-on-leeds-freak-injury/) report.**

### The Lowdown: Rodrigo’s injury

Marcelo Bielsa has had to deal with a number of injury problems throughout the season, with Rodrigo’s one of the latest.

The Whites forward, labelled as [‘brilliant’](https://motleedsnews.com/news/patrick-bamford-hails-brilliant-rodrigo-after-leeds-united-draw-v-wolves/) by Patrick Bamford, is currently out with a [heel](https://www.transfermarkt.co.uk/rodrigo/leistungsdaten/spieler/131505) problem.

\[freshpress-poll id=”379319″\]

He joins the likes of Bamford, Liam Cooper, Pascal Struijk, Kalvin Phillips and Robin Koch on the [sidelines](https://www.leedsunited.com/news/team-news/29175/leeds-united-injury-update), with Leeds suffering a heavy [7-0](https://www.transfermarkt.co.uk/spielbericht/index/spielbericht/3592060) defeat to Manchester City on Tuesday evening.

We first [officially](https://www.leedsunited.com/news/team-news/29175/leeds-united-injury-update) learned of Rodrigo’s heel issue prior to the 3-2 defeat to Chelsea last weekend, and Whelan has been giving his thoughts to the Spaniard’s setback.

### The Latest: Whelan’s comments

Whelan, who regularly contributes for [BBC Radio Leeds](https://icdb.tv/stats/4247/Noel-Whelan), was talking to [Football Insider](https://www.footballinsider247.com/whelan-bemoans-another-setback-for-rodrigo-after-bielsa-latest-on-leeds-freak-injury/) on Rodrigo’s problem.

This is what the former Whites man had to say, labelling it as a ‘freak injury’.

> “You’re looking at one of these kinds of injuries where it’s an unknown.
>
> “It’s a very crucial part for a football player, absolutely. It’s one of those where you don’t have much protection around it. Whatever you feel, it’s very raw and very sore. You feel all of it.
>
> “We’re getting these kinds of injuries, these kinds of freak injuries to key players. This again is a really frustrating problem to have because we can’t choose the best players we have.
>
> “Rodrigo, he’s not getting that kind of pathway where he’s getting a lot of games underneath his belt. Getting that continuity with the players, that consistency of performance and games.
>
> “It’s another setback. Whether he can go out there and deal with the pain, I know back in the day, we used to. Whether they would chance that I’m not so sure. Probably not.”

### The Verdict: When will it end?

Bielsa’s side find themselves in a relegation battle and have won just [three](https://www.premierleague.com/tables) of their 17 league games so far this season. Injuries have certainly contributed to that poor form, with Bielsa preferring a smaller squad and hardly having a fully fit group to choose from all season.

That has come back to haunt him in recent weeks, though, with [eight](https://www.transfermarkt.co.uk/spielbericht/index/spielbericht/3592060) of the nine substitutes at the Etihad regularly featuring for the Under-23’s, proving exactly how desperate the current situation is.

Jamie Shackleton may be the latest causality after [hobbling](https://inews.co.uk/sport/football/man-city-vs-leeds-player-ratings-highlights-seven-goals-de-bruyne-foden-guardiola-1352707) off against Pep Guardiola’s side, and the injury issues aren’t show any signs of slowing up as we enter the busiest period of the season.

***In other news: [Leeds now back in for summer target who is ‘like a beast’ – reliable journalist.](https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/leeds-united-transfer-rumours/leeds-whites-go-back-in-for-ben-brereton-diaz/)***