Eunan O’Kane missed Leeds United’s clash with Cardiff City on Tuesday night, with Thomas Christiansen instead picking Mateusz Klich in the middle.
Following the hugely disappointing defeat to Cardiff City on Tuesday, Leeds may feel that there is additional pressure on them to secure a positive result heading into the international break when they face Sheffield Wednesday on Sunday.
The Whites’ inability to handle Cardiff made Eunan O’Kane’s absence from the side incredibly noticeable. The midfielder has been fantastic in the holding role this term, but missed the game against the Bluebirds due to illness.
The Yorkshire Evening Post reports that O’Kane is likely to be back in contention to play against the Owls, but Thomas Christiansen would surely be wise to consider throwing Ronaldo Vieira in for his first start of the season if the Irishman is not fully fit as he will need to be at his best against Wednesday.
Mateusz Klich was given a chance against Cardiff in O’Kane’s absence following his brilliant League Cup display against Burnley the previous week – but the Poland international was disappointing against Neil Warnock’s men and it was his mistake that led to the first goal.
Vieira was also impressive against the Clarets, and has previously shown that he can be brilliant in the games where Leeds need a big performance in the middle of the park.
And despite still being a teenager, it could be argued that Leeds fans could probably still count the games on one hand where they have been disappointed with Vieira’s performance.
Having O’Kane back alongside Phillips would provide the Whites with a fantastic boost going into the game with Carlos Carvalhal’s side, but if the former is not ready for the contest then Christiansen should not hesitate to give Vieira the chance to prove why he should not have been so underused this term.
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