Leeds United could be without star striker Rodrigo for up to two months. The club has confirmed that its top scorer of the season has undergone surgery to repair a ligament injury. Rodrigo was injured in the first half of an FA Cup match against Accrington Stanley on Saturday. Leeds went on to win the game 3-1. They will now face the winner of Fulham and Sunderland at the end of the month.
Rodrigo has been a success since earning big money from Valencia in 2020. He is currently the club’s top scorer this season by some margin with 12 goals in total. Crysencio Summerville and Luis Sinisterra are tied for a distant second in team goals with four.
February could be a decisive month for Rodrigo, Harrison and Leeds
Leeds will need to find goals from other players if they want to stay in the Premier League. The Whites are currently only one point from the relegation zone. February will undoubtedly be a great month for the club in the Premier League. Leeds face three other clubs battling to avoid relegation, while also playing Manchester United twice in four days.
Upcoming games against Nottingham Forest, Everton and Southampton could prove vital to Leeds’ Premier League campaign. Forest are currently two places above Leeds in the table, while Everton and Southampton are currently in the relegation zone.
One player who could very well take Rodrigo’s place at Leeds is Jack Harrison. The tricky winger leads the club in assists so far this season and will be an important piece of the puzzle this month. Another option could be newcomer Georginio Rutter from Hoffenheim. Leeds spent a club record fee to acquire Rutter, who played as a striker in the Bundesliga.
Winger set to sign new deal despite almost leaving
Harrison, however, came close to leaving for Leicester City on transfer deadline day. The 26-year-old midfielder even underwent a medical and met Leicester boss Brendan Rodgers on Tuesday. However, Leeds pulled the plug on the sale of Harrison at the last minute. Rodrigo’s injury could well have affected the decision to stay with Harrison.
Although he almost left Leeds a few days ago, Sky Sports is now reporting that Harrison is set to sign a new contract with his current club. In the end he only has 18 months left on his contract and it looks like he’ll be getting a big raise to stay at Leeds.
PHOTO: IMAGO / ZUMA Wire
