Speaking in his pre-match press conference ahead of Leeds United’s clash with West Ham United, Marcelo Bielsa has stated that Gaetano Berardi will remain out until February.
The Swiss defender has been out of action since the end of last season after picking up an ACL injury against Derby in the penultimate game of the 2019/20 campaign.
Berardi’s contract was up at the end of last season, but Leeds did right by the defender by handing him a new deal despite his long-term injury.
Unfortunately, he still faces a number of weeks on the sideline.
Indeed, Bielsa was asked about his defensive options in lieu of Robin Koch’s knee injury, and the Argentine confirmed that Berardi will remain out until February.
“In the game against Aston Villa, Ayling played as a centre-back and played a very good game,” Bielsa said.
“In the game at Liverpool, Pascal [Struijk] played a very good game. In the Championship [Kalvin] Phillips played as a centre-back and adapted to this role.
“We’re not thinking of the possibility of bringing another defender into the team. We also expect to count on Berardi from February.”
Berardi being out until February isn’t that big of a blow, after all, Bielsa named three solid centre-back options in Struijk, Phillips and Ayling in his press conference.
However, with the upcoming busy festive period and Leeds’ ongoing injury crisis at centre-back, the Whites could probably have done with having Berardi back a little earlier, especially when you consider that Liam Cooper has been prone to injury in the past.
Of course, any optimistic Leeds fan will be happy to hear that Berardi is on the mend after so long on the sidelines, and it will be great to see him play Premier League football after years of service with Leeds in the Championship.
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