Could Vurnon Anita finally get chance in Leeds’ midfield?

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Leeds United fans are yet to see Vurnon Anita play in his natural position of central midfield since his summer arrival.

With Adam Forshaw already sidelined, one of the last things that Paul Heckingbottom would have wanted to see during the early stages of Leeds’ defeat to Fulham on Tuesday was Eunan O’Kane going down with a muscle injury.

O’Kane has been heavily criticised by the supporters in recent months but Heckingbottom has put a lot of faith in him since arriving from Barnsley – the midfielder was the Whites’ captain against Sheffield United in the head coach’s first game in charge – so potentially losing him for any substantial period has to be a blow.

If O’Kane is out for this weekend’s home clash with Sunderland, it seems more than likely that Heckingbottom will start Ronaldo Vieira and Kalvin Phillips alongside each other in the middle of the park.

But beyond that however, Heckingbottom will need to consider what other options he can call upon as an injury to either would be a huge setback to Leeds’ chances of ending the campaign on a high.

There is the potential to call up one of the impressive under-23 options – there will surely be a number of fans calling for Oriol Rey to get a chance – but perhaps Heckingbottom should deploy Vurnon Anita in his favoured position for the first time since his summer move.

Anita appeared to be a very shrewd signing from the club last year having helped Newcastle to promotion last term, but he has somewhat fallen off the radar having been used as a backup full-back during his time at Elland Road.

The 28-year-old is a player of good quality, but has arguably not been able to prove that thus far, so perhaps he should come into consideration for a spot in the middle of the park.

It would be a boost ahead of the summer if Anita thrived in the role if given a chance, as that could potentially prove to be an area of the field that Heckingbottom will need to do little work on during the coming window, with the former Netherlands international adding further depth to a list that includes Forshaw, Vieira, Phillips, O’Kane, Rey and even Romario Vieira and possibly Mateusz Klich, who is currently out on loan.

So perhaps this weekend may be the ideal time for Heckingbottom to hand Anita the chance to play in a position that saw him earn a handful of caps for his country and come desperately close to making their World Cup squad the year that only an extra-time goal from Andres Iniesta denied them the trophy.