Leeds United haven’t been without injury problems so far this season, and the prognosis for one of their senior men may be worse than the player himself had claimed, following a new update.
Who is injured for Leeds?
The Whites have made a mediocre start to life back in the Championship, having suffered the misery of relegation from the Premier League last season after enjoying three years back in the top flight.
Daniel Farke’s side were one of the fancied sides to challenge for the title when the campaign got underway, but their results have been fairly forgettable to date. They have only won one of their opening five fixtures, and the 0-0 draw at home to rivals Sheffield Wednesday in their last outing was particularly disappointing, considering the Owls didn’t have a single point to their name leading up to the game.
There is no need to overreact, however, with Farke still getting used to his squad after arriving as manager in the summer, and injuries also not helping matters.
Leeds have been dogged with a number of fitness issues in recent times, with the likes of Liam Cooper, Junior Firpo, Stuart Dallas and Patrick Bamford all unavailable of late. Now, an important update has emerged regarding one player and his potential return date.
When is Junior Firpo back for Leeds?
Firpo recently told international press that he feels “very good” and is “almost recovered” from his knee injury, implying he could be back in action very soon.
However, Speaking to MOT Leeds News, injury expert Dr Rajpal Brar claimed that Firpo may not be back in action until October, providing a key update regarding the length of his recovery from a knee problem:
“Based on recent reporting, sounds like he’s about a month out from returning from his knee ligament injury. We don’t have any specifics outside of the general ‘knee ligament injury’ but based on the timeline, this sounds like a Grade 3 non-ACL injury.
“There are no ACL worries for the player and he should begin training in the next week or two as he gets himself ready for action.”
This certainly isn’t an ideal update, considering Firpo looks likely to miss Leeds’ September schedule after the international, which comprises of four games against Millwall (away), Hull City (away), Watford (home) and Southampton (away), which is a tough-looking run.
On the plus side, though, Brar has ruled out the potential of serious ACL damage for the left-back, which would have led to him missing most of the season, given the severity of that injury.
There is no question that Firpo has been a hugely disappointing signing from Barcelona since arriving at the club in 2021 – he has just two goals and four assists in 51 appearances – but he does still possess quality, and he could shine more in the Championship than the Premier League, given the drop down in standard.
Having him available is far more preferable than seeing him sidelined, so the hope is that he makes a full recovery by the end of the month, with any appearances in September feeling like a bonus.
The 27-year-old being back in the fold would provide Farke with more options at left-back, allowing him to rotate, with Jamie Shackleton a solid player in the role, but arguably a more limited one than this teammate, considering the latter once played for Barcelona.
