Kemar Roofe missed Leeds United’s draw with Aston Villa due to injury.
Marcelo Bielsa has provided an encouraging update on Kemar Roofe’s fitness following Leeds’ draw with Aston Villa after he was asked if the forward will be back for the play-offs, in comments reported by Leeds Live.
The Whites were handed another setback heading into their clash with the Villans, with the Yorkshire Evening Post reporting that Roofe was missing the game due a hip problem.
The 1-1 draw finally confirmed that Leeds would be heading into the play-offs. But Bielsa suggested that the Whites have received some good news as they look to bounce back from missing out on automatic-promotion.
“Hopefully he will be back for the Ipswich game,” he said, as reported by Leeds Live, when asked if Roofe would return for the play-offs.
Roofe’s return should certainly be good news for Leeds. Patrick Bamford was poor against Villa and has often struggled to step into the 26-year-old’s shoes when he has previously been absent.
There have been some high points for the summer signing. But over the course of the campaign, Leeds have looked more dangerous when they have had Roofe leading the line.
It will be interesting to see how much of the Ipswich game Bielsa uses Roofe for. In an ideal situation, the Leeds boss could give Roofe the full 90 minutes to give him the best chance of shaking off any rustiness heading into the play-off semi-finals.
But given the shocking luck Leeds have had with injuries this season, it may not be a big surprise if Bielsa takes a cautious approach with Roofe to give him the best chance of being available once the regular campaign concludes.
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