And the plot thickens. Leeds United’s worst nightmare seems to be coming true as latest reports confirm that Kemar Roofe and Pablo Hernandez are going to be out of the clash against Millwall this weekend. First, it was Patrick Bamford, and now two of the most crucial attacking players are out injured. We expected both to play an essential part in the encounter against the Lions after the international break, but both have been ruled out in the team news carried out by Marcelo Bielsa himself.
This would be a huge cause of concern for the manager, but he seems to have full faith in the 19-year-old Welshman Tyler Roberts who is likely to lead the line this weekend. The manager said,”The first option we have is Tyler Roberts and we have also other possibilities. I am happy that other players are ready to play.”
Roofe is especially going to be a big miss as he started the season with a bang. He was also named as Championship’s player of the month in August as he scored four and assisted two goals and one can say this was the worst possible time for him to get injured as Bamford was ruled out for at least four months just a few days back. The Whites medical team did give an update on the possible return of Roofe, and the forward is likely to miss out two weeks of action. On the other hand, Pablo Hernandez will miss close to a month of action.
To make matters even worse, Gaetano Berardi is also unlikely to recover from his injury which he suffered against Middlesbrough and all of a sudden three first-team players are out of action for Bielsa. This was always going to be a cause of concern for the Whites faithful as they had a razor-thin squad.
However, the manager would hope that certain young players would be able to step up in these testing times. At the centre back spot we think United are well covered for the time being as Pontus Jansson and Liam Cooper should start when the Whites travel to the Den to take on Millwall.
Manchester City loanee Jack Harrison should be the expected replacement for Pablo Hernandez and he did a decent job when he started against Middlesbrough before the international break. The strike option is going to be a major concern though as Tyler Roberts doesn’t have much experience of leading the line at this level.
Along with goals, Roofe used to add another dimension to the team by pressing high up and the striker often used to work his socks off. It remains to be seen whether young Roberts would be able to do that. Maybe the Whites can find a gem in this testing time as it gives other players an opportunity to showcase their worth and impress the gaffer.
