Marcelo Bielsa has confirmed that Leeds United midfielder Tyler Roberts will miss Saturday’s match against Middlesbrough.
The Wales international has had mixed success this season, playing a total of 393 minutes and scoring once, however, the 20-year-old is yet to start consistently, playing five games off the bench and starting four. His goal came against Queens Park Rangers on 2nd November but has since made no contributions in terms of goals or assists.
Is Tyler Roberts impressing you this season?
Yes
No
When speaking in his press conference, Marcelo Bielsa said: “He is making some progress, but cannot play this weekend.” The manager was then asked what the issue was and admitted he wasn’t sure: “I don’t have accurate information about that. I know the medical staff are analysing it and he cannot play on Saturday.” However, when he spoke straight after the Reading game, Bielsa said: “He felt something in some muscle.”
Obviously ‘some muscle’ can mean many things and it might not be unreasonable to suggest the injury could be related to Roberts’ hamstring. However, it shouldn’t take too long for an official medical report to be released by the club. If the 20-year-old misses just one match he should return for the Huddersfield away day, which shouldn’t be too difficult of a game with the Terries currently sitting 18th in the Championship, although with the fixture being a Yorkshire derby, the Whites cannot take them lightly.
Verdict
Obviously this isn’t the worst injury that Leeds could have faced, but it is another option gone for Bielsa, as Roberts did start against Reading, so it’s a shame for the 20-year-old that he’s now going to have to earn that spot back. As long as he keeps his head down and works hard to return as soon as possible, the 20-year-old should be back in contention for Bielsa’s starting lineup in no time, especially with a hectic Championship schedule coming up in December.