‘I’m worried’ – BBC pundit claims big-name Leeds player may be out injured for three weeks
Noel Whelan has claimed that Leeds United forward Jean-Kevin Augustin could miss up to three weeks’ worth of action with his hamstring injury.
Augustin, 22, missed the matches against Middlesbrough and Hull City this week after Marcelo Bielsa confirmed that he had sustained a hamstring strain.
The French striker, who joined Leeds on loan from RB Leipzig in January with a view to a permanent move in the summer, is yet to start a game for the Championship giants and it seems that it could be some time before he manages to make a full debut.
Ex-Leeds striker Whelan is concerned about Augustin’s injury and his overall fitness and has suggested that it might have been a mistake to sign the ex-PSG striker last month.
“I said when he came in he wasn’t fit, he looked overweight and he’d only played three games in eight months – I had in the back of my mind that if you push him too hard, he’d have more chance of getting injured than getting fit,” the BBC Radio Leeds pundit told Football Insider.
“That just proves the point, he’s got a hamstring injury, he was out of the game against Middlesbrough, he’s going to be out of the game against Hull and I very much doubt it is going to be a one-weeker, probably two to three.
“I’m worried we’re not going to get enough from him this season, I do wonder why they’ve gone into the market, that’s not fully fit, not ready to hit the ground running.
Augustin has made just three appearances off the bench since joining Leeds in January, despite being Bielsa’s marquee signing last month.
The Frenchman arrived at Leeds having scored in Ligue 1, the Bundesliga and the Champions League but has so far had little impact in the Championship.
It seems that it’s mainly down to a lack of fitness because Patrick Bamford would almost certainly be dropped for Augustin due to his poor goalscoring form at the minute.
However Augustin’s injury setback means Bamford is set to continue spearheading the Leeds attack for the foreseeable future.
It could take Augustin a few weeks to recover from this injury but how much longer will it take for him to then get up to full speed in terms of his fitness and Bielsa’s tactics?
Will the big-name star even start a game for Leeds before the season ends?
In other Leeds United news, Phil Hay has detailed whether Leeds can make an emergency loan signing in the wake of Kiko Casilla’s ban.