Gabriel Gudmundsson’s license to roam revoked at Leeds as injury update emerges ahead of Aston Villa clash
Gabriel Gudmundsson could be in for a tougher day than expected against Aston Villa.
Having suffered a 2-1 defeat against the Villans last time out at Elland Road, the Whites are looking to inflict their revenge at Villa Park this weekend when they take on Unai Emery’s side.
Leeds suffered a blow in the form of Noah Okafor ahead of the game, with the forward set to miss up to four weeks of action due to injury.
That had somewhat piled more pressure on Gudmundsson to support Leeds’ attacks down the left flank, and that pressure has been amplified further after news from Aston Villa.
Matty Cash injury update emerges at Aston Villa
Gudmundsson has arguably been Leeds United‘s best signing this season, and certainly up there for one of their best players in general.
And a lot of that is due to his creative output when bombing forward in transition.
Gudmundsson has created 19 chances from left-back so far this season, as well as having completed 21 of his attempted crosses, as showcased by his Sofascore graphic below.
Matty Cash has missed the last two Villa games due to injury, and it was looking as though the Swede could be set for a field day against Lamare Bogarde, who has been playing in his absence.
However, that is now looking unlikely, after Emery revealed in his press conference ahead of the encounter that Cash should make the squad for Saturday’s game.
“Matty Cash is coming back. He trained the last two training sessions, and he is feeling good, and he is coming back,” Emery said.
- Read more: Gabriel Gudmundsson has quickly become Leeds United’s most important player – These numbers show why
How will Matty Cash update affect Leeds gameplan?
The truth is that it won’t impact it much, but it will require slight changes.
Cash is a threat going forward, which cannot be said about Bogarde, and if the Whites were expecting his absence, they would have looked to target an overload on that side of the pitch.
However, with Poland international looking set to feature, that will have to change slightly, and it may also require Okafor’s replacement to do more defensive work than expected.
Willy Gnonto would be perfect to fill in that role, having showcased his willingness to help his defensively thiss eason, as well as posing a significant threat in the final third.
But whether Daniel Farke utilises him remains to be seen, and given his lack of game time this season, he may look elsewhere.
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