Leeds boss Heckingbottom comments suggest Saiz won’t start against Fulham

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Leeds United will face Fulham at Craven Cottage in the Championship on Tuesday.

Leeds United head coach Paul Heckingbottom has suggested to Leeds Live that Samuel Saiz may not start a game for the next two weeks.

Saiz did not start for Leeds in their Championship match against Bolton Wanderers at Elland Road last Friday afternoon.

The 27-year-old, who can operate as a forward or as an attacking midfielder and is very popular among the Leeds fans, came on as a substitute in the 62nd minute, as the home team won 2-1.

The Spaniard has been suffering from a hamstring injury of late, but the 2017 summer signing seems to have recovered.

Leeds head coach Heckingbottom, though, seems to have suggested that Saiz will not start for a while.

Heckingbottom told Leeds Live: “He’s a valuable player so credit to the medical team who have been working with him, credit to Samu who’s played.

“It’s a case now for me and we spoke about this, that we manage him through the next two weeks because after that he should be out of the woods, should be 100 per cent but whenever we’ve got him and we can use him. I want to use him.”

No start against Fulham

Heckingbottom’s comments suggest that he does not want to risk Saiz at this stage of his recovery, and perhaps the Spaniard will not start against Fulham this week.

Leeds will take on Fulham away from home at Craven Cottage in the Championship on Tuesday evening.

With the Whites pretty much out of the running for the Championship playoffs, it would not make much sense for Heckingbottom to risk Saiz, especially as Fulham are in good form and should win the match on Tuesday evening.