Phil Hay delivers injury update on Leeds mainstay after 1-0 win v Barnsley
The 26-year-old was stretchered off early in the second half after suffering a blow from former Elland Road midfielder Alex Mowatt, and looked to be in considerable pain as he left the field.
Marcelo Bielsa turned to Ezgjan Alioski in his absence, as the Whites held on for a tense victory that puts them within one point of promotion to the Premier League.
Costa’s withdrawal put a dampener on the evening, however, especially considering that he only completed his permanent switch to the club earlier this month.
But while Hay was able to confirm the location of the injury, we are still awaiting news as to how severe the complaint is – or if Costa will be sidelined for the remainder of the season.
Writing in a Q&A for The Athletic, Hay said: “It’s a rib injury.
“No word on severity but he did seem to be in plenty of pain.”
This was a really cruel blow for Costa, and we just have to hope that the injury isn’t as bad as it initially looked.
As Hay points out, the winger looked to be in a considerable amount of pain following his class with Mowatt, and as soon as the stretcher is brought out, it’s hard not to fear the worst.
Only time will tell how severe the complaint is, or if Costa will be ruled out for any length of time, and it would be a shame if he can’t play the remaining matches in a season in which he has been a real mainstay of Marcelo Bielsa’s side.
In the meantime, Alioski is likely to deputise, and we all know he has more than enough quality to fulfil that role very adequately.
In fact, Alioski has a higher cross accuracy rate, higher action success rate, and a higher xG than Costa this season, as per Wyscout, so we know that we are in very capable hands.
In other Leeds United news, ‘Looked terrified’, ‘Our best player’ – These Leeds fans torn over display of one man v Barnsley.