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Bielsa confirms 'six-month' recovery process for Leeds player, Phil Hay clarifies plan
Leeds United boss Marcelo Bielsa has confirmed that Adam Forshaw should have recovered from his hip injury in time for pre-season training in the summer.
Leeds confirmed earlier this week that Forshaw, 28, has headed to the USA to undergo surgery on a hip injury that has ruled him out of action since September.
It was announced that Forshaw would miss the remainder of the current season but Bielsa has said in a press conference on Thursday that the former Middlesbrough midfielder’s recovery process is a long one.
“It’s a six-month process with him. Our medical staff did everything to try and help him and to solve this situation,” said the Leeds boss, as quoted by The Athletic journalist Phil Hay via his personal Twitter account on Thursday afternoon.
Hay then added that the six-month process has already started and that the plan is for Forshaw to be back to fitness in time for pre-season training.
At Bielsa's press conference. Speaking about Forshaw's operation: "It's a six-month process with him. Our medical staff did everything to try and help him and to solve this situation." #lufc
— Phil Hay (@PhilHay_) February 13, 2020
he should be back for pre-season. That's the plan.
— Phil Hay (@PhilHay_) February 13, 2020
It is a massive shame that Forshaw will miss the rest of the season for Leeds, especially because he played so well in August when he was fit.
He even impressed in some of Leeds’ pre-season fixtures.
However the Whites will now have to try and win promotion to the Premier League with one less central midfielder – an area of Bielsa’s squad that is already quite thin.
Should Leeds have signed a new central midfielder in January?
It seems as though the Whites’ medical staff were confident that they could get Forshaw fit again but in the last couple of weeks, that stance has clearly changed.
If they knew that they know about Forshaw now in January, would Bielsa have signed a replacement?
It’s likely that it would have depended on the financial aspect of things more than anything else.
In other Leeds United news, this international player is likely to quit the Whites in the summer transfer window.