Marcelo Bielsa shares if Raphinha was injured in Leeds United v Everton
Marcelo Bielsa has confirmed that Leeds United attacker Raphinha was not injured on Saturday in the game against Everton.
The Whites suffered an embarrassing 3-0 defeat against the Toffees and were outplayed from the first whistle of the contest.
What surprised many was that Raphinha was withdrawn at the break with many questioning whether or not there was an injury.
Discussing that change in the aftermath of the game, Bielsa said, “I decided that Daniel James should take over his role on the right and Tyler Roberts take over in the centre. He is not injured.”
Relief
Raphinha has not been the same player since the international break.
He has looked leggy and has not been as involved in the play as Bielsa would’ve liked.
Even against Everton, he appeared to be all over the place and it could be fatigue or tactical reasons for withdrawing him.
However, something needs to be done to get him back to performing at his best as these kinds of performances are not going to win Leeds games.
With Kalvin Phillips and Patrick Bamford out for several weeks, he’s been the only one to provide the X-Factor.
With big games coming up, hopefully, we see a different Raphinha as without him it’s nigh on impossible to beat the big boys.
In other Leeds United news, an ‘Exciting’ Whites player may seek Elland Road exit after Wednesday’s Phil Hay update