By Saikat Mandal

31st Dec, 2021 | 5:10pm

Marcelo Bielsa reveals when Leeds United quartet will return to action

Marcelo Bielsa has revealed, as relayed by journalist Adam Pope, that Leeds United midfielder Kalvin Phillips will be out of action till March.

The Argentine has also added that skipper Liam Cooper will return around the same time.

Jamie Shackleton and Charlie Cresswell are expected to return as early as February.

Leeds United will face Burnley in the Premier League clash on Sunday, and the latest fitness update will surely come as a huge blow for the fans.

BBC Radio Leeds journalist Pope wrote on Twitter: “Marcelo Bielsa expects Phillips and Cooper (to be) back in March. Shackleton and Cresswell (to return) by early February . He says other players are returning & does not rule out ‘taking advantage’ in the transfer market.”

Massive blow

This could be a massive January transfer window for Leeds.

With Phillips and Cooper out till March, the Whites are left with little options rather than delve into the transfer market in January.

Signing a central midfielder is key, while the Argentine could look to add another centre-back.

Ideally, the Whites should further look to bring in another winger and a back-up striker, but they can still manage with Patrick Bamford set to return shortly.

However, the loss of Phillips is huge. Just massive.

Leeds can still cope with the absence of Cooper. The likes of Diego Llorente and Robin Koch likely to step up in the meantime, but they need another strong midfielder to compensate for the loss of the England midfielder.

Meanwhile, the likes of Dan James, Junior Firpo, Koch and Llorente are all set to return against Burnley in what could be seen as a must-win game for the Whites.

In other Leeds United news, this in-form attacker could be making his way to Elland Road in January.