Phil Hay of Yorkshire Evening recently posted about what Leeds United’s manager had to say regarding Izzy Brown’s comeback date, and Marcelo Bielsa had grim news to convey as he was quoted as saying,”It’s a very different case. It’s been a long time since he played, he hasn’t played football with us so far. It’s impossible to say when he will be fit. It won’t be a short time.’’
Brown was one of four loan signings the Whites made in the summer. The 21-year-old is recovering from a severe knee injury, and United knew that he would not be available for the first few months. However, it seems like he could be out for longer than expected as one would have thought the attacking midfielder could be ready for action just before Christmas but at this point, it doesn’t look so.
It was anyway a gamble from United as they signed an already injured player and it was clear that Brown would have to go through a lengthy rehabilitation process before he could come back. United have been dealt a poor hand as recent injuries are a worrying sign, and an early return of Brown would have come in handy. However, that is not going to be the case anytime soon.
The England u-21 international came from Chelsea and already had decent loan spells at Brighton and Hove Albion and Huddersfield Town. The 21-year-old usually plays in the no.10 or the shadow striker role though his pace allows him to play as a winger as well. His quick feet and close control would have made him a dangerous proposition in the attacking third and the fact that he already had some Premier League experience under his belt, would have kept him in good stead in the Championship.
United are already struggling with injuries especially in the attacking front as the likes of Pablo Hernandez, Kemar Roofe and Patrick Bamford are out for some time. Roofe is close to returning, but if Brown was available, he would have gotten his chance in the playing eleven by now. The exact return date of the Englishman is yet not known so that would be more cause for concern for the manager. Bielsa would hope that he will have a role to play in the latter half of the season as the squad already looks thin in some departments. Maybe in January, we can see some action during the transfer period.
It is also never easy to come back from such major injuries, and it remains to be seen how the attacker would perform after he takes the field. As of now, the gamble of bringing him on loan doesn’t seem to be paying off as Brown is still nowhere close to returning to action.
