The 27-year-old has played four games for Leeds United this season.
Liam Bridcutt was one of the first names on Leeds United’s team sheet a couple of months ago, but he is in for a rude awakening if he thinks that he will casually slot back into the Whites’ midfield straight away.
The 27-year-old, a summer signing from Sunderland, looked an excellent addition in the four Championship games that he played, but a foot injury has sidelined him since September 13.
According to The Yorkshire Evening Post, the Scotland international is due to resume full training this week, but getting into the first XI now is much tougher than it was in August.
In his absence, Kalvin Phillips has struck up an excellent partnership with Eunan O’Kane in Leeds’ midfield. They have started nine Championship games together, winning six, drawing one and losing two, and Bridcutt needs to be prepared to fight for his spot in Garry Monk’s best XI.
With O’Kane nursing a thigh injury at the moment, he might win his place back on luck rather than merit, but if the Republic of Ireland international’s problem proves less serious than feared then Monk must bench Bridcutt.
He is a quality midfielder, and Leeds fans fell in love with him after a successful six-month loan spell under Steve Evans last season.
But the fact remains that O’Kane and Phillips are performing very well together at the moment, and Monk would send a terrible message to the rest of the squad if he drops one of them to facilitate one of his big-name signings.
Where is the incentive for young players to break into the first XI if they see 20-year-old academy graduate Phillips being dropped as soon as Bridcutt returns?
The former Swansea City manager is all about the team, to the point where he rarely even singles out any player for praise during interviews, but ushering Bridcutt straight back into the fold would betray that philosophy a little.
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