Every Leeds match Anton Stach is now expected to miss as injury timeline emerges
Anton Stach came out of Leeds defeat to Arsenal with an injury problem.
Leeds were beaten 4-0 by Arsenal last Saturday, and Stach was substituted off in the 81st minute, being replaced by Wilfried Gnonto.
Stach signed from Hoffenheim in this season’s summer window, and has become a crucial part of Daniel Farke‘s side.
So good has the 27-year-old midfielder been this term, Leeds were even told to sign a Stach 2.0 player in the winter transfer window, as there is that old saying: ‘you can’t have too many good players’.
Anton Stach set to miss multiple Leeds games
Leeds take on Nottingham Forest in the Premier League on Friday night, in what is a real relegation six-pointer at Elland Road.
However, Farke is dealing with a number of injuries in his squad at the moment, with the likes of Jaka Bijol, Dan James, Lukas Nmecha and James Justin all dealing with injury issues.
But, the Leeds boss is expecting one or two of those to be fit and available for selection against Forest, but Stach won’t be.
Speaking via The Athletic ahead of Friday’s crunch match, Farke revealed that he’s been informed of the timeline on Stach’s injury, and it will see him miss up to the next three games.
“The only negative news is Anton Stach is struggling with some hip problems after the last game day and it looks like he’s likely to miss the game on Friday and also the Chelsea game,” Farke said.
“Definitely not good news with him because he’s obviously an important player for us.
“It’s probably a situation of probably being out for 10 to 14 days at least. That is what the doctor says at the moment.”
Should Stach miss the next 14 days through injury, then he would be unavailable for Nottingham Forest (6 February), Chelsea (10 February) and Birmingham in the FA Cup (15 February).
However, he could then be available to return for Leeds’ trip to Villa Park to take on Aston Villa on 21 February.
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Stach blow could pave way for Facundo Buonanotte chance
Having a ‘next man up’ mentality when injuries inevitably strike is so important to maintaining belief and consistency, and Stach’s injury may now provide Facundo Buonanotte with his first big Leeds opportunity.
The Argentinian was Leeds’ only senior signing of the winter window, and has so far played just 24 minutes of Premier League football for the Whites over the last three games.
But, Farke may now feel inclined to hand him his first start or two, as his profile would perhaps make him a better match than an Ao Tanaka or Sean Longstaff to replace Stach’s attacking output.