Leeds United were finally back to winning ways after securing a 1-0 victory against Hull City. The Whites had played some frustrating draws off late which saw them win just one of their last five games so getting three points against the Tigers was crucial. However, it seems the injury gods have not been kind again as Phil Hay of Yorkshire Evening Post reported that left-back Barry Douglas has a muscular problem and it is not yet clear how serious his injury is. Douglas was substituted in the last 15 minutes of the game as he found it difficult to carry on and the Whites faithful would be waiting for further reports with baited breath.
United have lost quite a few players through injury of late and the fans would hope that nothing serious happens to their summer signing. Douglas has been instrumental down the left wing and for us, the left-back is one of the best signings of the summer in the Championship as Wolves allowed to let him for reportedly £3m. The 28-year-old could have easily prospered in the Premier League but Wolves’ aspirations were different and they didn’t have any qualms in letting him leave.
The left-back position was one of the problematic areas for Leeds to address when Marcelo Bielsa took over the mantle at the club. Last season, Laurens De Bock, Cameron Borthwick Jackson and Vurnon Anita were tried before Paul Heckingbottom had to promote academy player, Tom Pearce to the first team to fill in the left back slot.
This season, that area has been one of the strong areas as Douglas is a constant threat down the left and has already assisted in three goals. The Scotsman always looks to bomb forward and is one of the crucial players in Bielsa’s system as he demands a lot from his fullback.
Tom Pearce is the likely man who could replace him in the left-back role though one cannot count out Jamie Shackleton as well. The intensity with which the Whites play and the vigours of Championship football have already troubled them as first-team players like Patrick Bamford, Gaetano Berardi, Pablo Hernandez and Kemar Roofe are currently out of action. Centre-backs, Liam Cooper and Pontus Jansson, have also missed some games due to injury and this latest injury concern would be a worrying sign for the Whites.
Douglas has almost been playing as a wingback as United have enjoyed plenty of possession; therefore, the fullback hasn’t had to do too much defensively. But whenever he has been called into action at the back, the fullback has dealt with dangers well. Until the severity of Douglas’ injury is revealed, time to keep the fingers crossed if you are a Whites fan.
