Leeds United have now suffered a fresh injury blow alongside Ethan Ampadu before the clash with Norwich City, as reported by journalist Beren Cross.
Leeds hit by Ampadu blow before Norwich
The Whites face an important Championship assignment on Tuesday evening, making the trip to a Norwich side who are expected to be among the promotion hopefuls this season, along with Daniel Farke’s side. The Canaries are 10th in the table currently, but their form has improved of late, following three wins in their last four league games, so this could be a big challenge for Leeds.
The Whites’ task hasn’t been made any easier by the news that Ethan Ampadu is facing around 10 weeks on the sidelines after suffering a knee problem in last Saturday’s 3-0 win at home to Coventry City. On the plus side, the midfielder doesn’t require surgery, but he may not return to the pitch until the New Year.
Injuries can have the potential to derail any team’s season and that is threatening to be the case at Leeds all of a sudden, with another negative update emerging on Monday.
Leeds hit with another knee injury
According to Cross on X, Leeds will be without Max Wober against Norwich because of injury, with a six-week absence on the cards and surgery required, having not featured at all in the Championship yet this season. He will be the fifth player on the injury list alongside Amapdu, Dan James, Manor Solomon and Isaac Schmidt.
This arguably isn’t as big a blow as the Ampadu news because Wober hasn’t been such a fixture in the team this season – his absence also isn’t as lengthy – but it still acts as an undoubted setback, added to the fellow absentees mentioned by Cross, particularly James and Solomon.
The 26-year-old Austrian can still be a key figure, however, with former Leeds midfielder Carlton Palmer claiming as much during the summer, backing him to play a big role in his side’s promotion push after they retained his services.
“This decision makes perfect sense – I believe that Daniel Farke wasn’t too happy when Wober left the club on loan following relegation. He’s still only 26, he’s got three years left on his contract and he should be a Leeds United player for the foreseeable future. Ethan Ampadu is expected to return to a midfield role for the season ahead, so Wober could play a key part as Leeds look to get back to the Premier League, especially as Liam Cooper has departed after his contract ended.”
Hopefully, Wober can make a speedy return to the Leeds setup, at which point the busy autumn schedule will be in full swing, playing a part in helping Farke’s men rise further up the Championship table and eventually sealing automatic promotion.
After a season on loan at Borussia Monchengladbach, he is looking to fully find his feet again, but there is no reason why he can’t become more of an influential player once he’s back in the fold.