By Adefunmiloye Alani

2nd Dec, 2021 | 6:10am

Ben Dinnery: Pascal Struijk an injury doubt for Leeds v Brentford

Leeds United defender Pascal Struijk is an early injury doubt for Sunday’s clash against Brentford, according to Ben Dinnery.

The Injury expert claimed on his personal Twitter account on Wednesday (1 December) that the Dutchman complained about his ankle after last night’s 1-0 against Crystal Palace.

Struijk was withdrawn after 45 minutes against the Eagles, and he could now be unavailable for selection when the Bees visit Elland Road this weekend (5 December).

Dinnery said: “Pascal Struijk flagged as an early doubt for Sunday due to an ankle complaint.”

Bielsa earlier commented on his knock, saying: “Yes it’s the same [injury]. All of us value that he played with a physical limitation that he played with, that’s very generous and shows how important a teammate he is to all of us.”

Blow?

Leeds have not had any luck with injuries so far this season, and it appears things could even get worse.

Struijk’s versatility has come in very handy this term as he has featured at left-back, centre-back and defensive midfield, and Marcelo Bielsa cannot afford to be without such a crucial member of his squad for long.

Further scans will still be carried out to determine the extent of his knock, but he could be rested for the Brentford clash in order not to aggravate the blow.

Leeds have stiffer tests ahead of them after Sunday, with four of the top five in the table next, and they need Struijk available for those games, so taking him out of the next matchday squad could make sense.

Junior Firpo will be expected to return to the starting XI for the next clash from the look of things, and he will need to do better after his recent underwhelming performances.

In other Leeds United news, a major update on Whites January bid to sign attacker has been provided, with pen-to-paper imminent.