The Swiss defender has not played since the opening day of the campaign.
Leeds United boss Garry Monk has told the BBC that Gaetano Berardi will not feature against Barnsley this weekend.
Berardi has not played for the Whites’ since their opening day defeat to Queens Park Rangers, but returned to action with the Under-23s earlier this week.
In an interview with the club’s official website on Wednesday, the Swiss said he was feeling ‘100 per cent’, adding that he hoped to be involved with the first team next week.
According to Monk, however, Leeds fans should not expect Berardi to return until after the upcoming break for internationals.
When asked if the 28-year-old would feature against Barnsley, Monk told the BBC: “No. I think Bera has to get more up to speed with the group.
“The group are quite a way ahead of him in terms of fitness, sharpness and the level, but that’s natural where Bera is at right now. He’s only literally come back from another period out. It’s always difficult when you actually miss pre-season and then it’s difficult when you miss the start of the season, so he’s on catch-up.
“But Bera’s a really good professional; hard worker. We have a plan for him to get him back up to speed, but what he needs is a lot more minutes on the training field and he needs some more minutes within the under-23 games.”
When fit, Berardi was an ever-present for Leeds last season and arguably one of the Whites’ best performers.
However, he is likely to face a battle to regain his place, with former Bristol City right-back Luke Ayling arriving at Elland Road since Berardi’s last appearance.
The former Sampdoria player moved to Leeds two summers ago for around £500,000 and has just under two years to run on his contract.
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