Marcelo Bielsa has told Leeds Live that Diego Llorente has suffered a ‘set-back’ in his return from injury after the Whites beat Burnley 1-0 on Sunday.
In the lead up to today’s game, Bielsa stated that Llorente would feature, but he hasn’t been training since Wednesday, according to his manager.
Added with that, as posted by Yorkshire Evening Post journalist, Graham Smyth, Leeds’ summer signing will also be absent for their West Brom showdown.
This is what Bielsa had to say straight after Leeds picked up three points against Burnley:
“Set-back on Wednesday,” said Bielsa. “From there he wasn’t involved. He stopped being an option.”
It’s bad, worrying and disheartening news for those in Yorkshire because it means that their summer signing hasn’t featured since making his Premier League debut against Chelsea.
From a defensive standpoint, Leeds haven’t had their luck with injuries this season and it will be interesting to see if Bielsa dips into the January market.
But given that Bielsa likes to work with a small squad, and even with their problematic set-backs, it wouldn’t be a surprise if he sticks with what he has got and opts against knocking on someone else’s door for a player.
There’s not much turnaround for Leeds, as this hectic festive fixture continues with a clash against West Brom in a few days time.
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