Phil Hay: Leeds United star Joe Rodon could miss ‘extended period’ with injury
Joe Rodon could miss an extended period of time at Leeds United if he aggravates his current hamstring injury by rushing back into the side to face Leicester, according to Phil Hay.
Hay shared that Daniel Farke had claimed after the Huddersfield clash that Rodon had suffered a slight hamstring issue, although the boss was quietly confident that his defender would return quickly.
However, due to the nature of hamstring injuries, The Athletic journalist has suggested Rodon will not be rushed back into the side due to the risk of worsening the injury.
Hay was speaking on The Square Ball Podcast on 2 November as he shared: “Farke said after the win over Huddersfield that it was a slight hamstring issue for him [Rodon].
“He said at the time that he was quietly confident that Rodon would be fit for Leicester, although he wasn’t committing too heavily to that.
“The difficulty with a hamstring strain as opposed to an impact injury is that you can’t really play through it if it’s not right. It will need to be right in order for Rodon to be in the team, and it doesn’t give him a huge amount of time to recover.
“Farke certainly wasn’t ruling him out at that point, but they won’t be able to risk him if his hamstring is in any way a concern, because if a minor problem becomes more serious then you start to talk about an extended period of weeks where you’re missing him.
“I think, as we saw in the second half against Huddersfield in the difference when he went off, he simply isn’t a player that Leeds can afford to lose at this stage. I think him being in the team is going to be absolutely crucial.”
Need to keep him fit and ready
Leeds need to ensure Rodon is fit to play whenever available this season, and if that means resting him for the clash against Leicester to protect him from a possible extended period out, then that will be the measure they need to take for his fitness.
While it won’t be ideal to travel to the league leaders without one of their most important players, Leeds will have to accept that the risk of worsening his injury is not worth it, even if he may be the difference between a loss and a win.
Rodon has been a key player in the Leeds side so far this season, and as Hay shared, there was a noticeable change to their play after he went off with the knock against Huddersfield, with Liam Cooper not up to the same standard as the Welsh international.
If he is fit enough to return it will be a huge boost for the Yorkshire side, but there is no sense in rushing his return if it leads to further issues which hamper him and his side later down the line.
In other Leeds United news, Fabrizio Romano has dropped a new Summerville update.