Two Leeds defenders ruled out of clash v Fulham
Marcelo Bielsa is seemingly destined to never have a full Leeds United squad to select from after the latest fitness update.
Liam Cooper and Leif Davis are the latest casualties, with both defenders now ruled out of the game against Fulham on Friday night.
Cooper was expected. He missed the Chelsea game with illness and was subsequently left out of the Scotland squad, with Steve Clarke saying he wouldn’t be fit until the end of March.
Leif Davis is the new casualty and he will miss the game with what was called a ‘minor knock’.
Rodrigo will face a late fitness test ahead of the clash at Craven Cottage.
Mixed news
Leif Davis has made two Premier League appearances this season but has found himself behind Gjanni Alioksi in the pecking order.
There are some fans who wish that was the other way round, with Alioski coming in for criticism for his defending in the Premier League.
Liam Cooper would normally be a big miss but with Pascal Struijk and Diego Llorente keeping a clean sheet against Chelsea, the centre-back pairing were unlikely to be dislodged anyway.
Rodrigo looks like he could miss out and that will see Tyler Roberts play in the no.10 position again.
That would make it very interesting if Patrick Bamford didn’t make the game. Bielsa said he should be fine after picking up a hip knock, but with Rodrigo out, his absence could have seen Joe Gelhardt come into the reckoning.
He’s likely to be on the bench with Pablo Hernandez not even mentioned in the press conference today.
His season has been a long way from how he would have imagined it after inspiring Leeds to promotion last season.
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