The Athletic: Leeds United star Kalvin Phillips set for two-month absence after operation
Leeds United star Kalvin Phillips has undergone successful surgery on his hamstring injury and is expected to miss the next two months, according to The Athletic.
Phillips, 26, suffered the blow in the 2-2 draw with Brentford earlier this month (5 December) and subsequently missed the 3-2 defeat at Chelsea on Saturday (11 December).
Writing on The Athletic website on Monday morning (13 December), football correspondent David Ornstein claims the England international is “expected to be out for at least two months” after his operation last week.
January window
A minimum of two months out of the side could see Phillips miss up to 10 games, and possibly more.
He will be absent for the remaining four fixtures in December, including trips to Manchester City and Liverpool.
A trip to West Ham in the FA Cup on January 9 is among four fixtures he’s likely to miss in January, and assuming the Whites progress into the fourth round, Phillips could miss three or four more in the first couple of weeks of February.
Could Leeds be tempted to sign someone in January to cover for his absence? Given that he could be back in early-mid February, they would surely have to buy someone right at the beginning of January to make it worthwhile, though a long-term deputy would be handy.
It may only be a few games, but the Whites play Burnley, West Ham and Aston Villa in the Premier League during the first month of January, with Everton at the start of February. That’s four matches Marcelo Bielsa will be looking at to accrue a significant number of points, and signing someone for them could be the difference.
In other Leeds United news, the Whites are readying a January bid to sign this 2021 title-winner who top-scored in a major club competition this year.