Leeds United star ruled out until 'January at least' - expert

Leeds United star Ilia Gruev will be sidelined until the turn of the year in a huge blow to Daniel Farke and his squad.

Speaking on the latest edition of Football Insider’s Inside Track podcast, former Leeds and England goalkeeper Paul Robinson, who remains very well-connected at the club, revealed that both Ethan Ampadu and Gruev will now be ruled out until January “at least”.

Ampadu, 24, had started each of Leeds’ opening eight games in all competitions this season before suffering a knee ligament issue in the 3-0 win against Coventry.

As a result, he has been ruled out for the foreseeable future, with Robinson confirming he will not return until 2025, while the same is the case for Gruev.

The Bulgarian midfielder has undergone surgery after being forced off during the 1-1 draw with Norwich City at Carrow Road, and will miss months.

This has come as a huge blow to Farke, who has been left short of options in the middle.

Robinson went on to explain that another knock or suspension to one of their midfielders could force Leeds into the market to sign a free agent.

This comes after Football Insider revealed on 11 October that the club are considering a move to sign former West Ham and Crystal Palace midfielder Cheikhou Kouyate.

Leeds United handed devastating Ethan Ampadu injury blow

The first-choice midfield pairing being ruled out for an extended period has raised alarm bells at Elland Road, with Joe Rothwell and Ao Tanaka now their only senior options.

Robinson, meanwhile, insisted a change of formation could help Farke cope with the loss of two important players rather than being forced into the transfer market.

“Both of their first-choice midfielders are going to be out for the foreseeable,” he told Football Insider.

“They’ll probably both be out until January at least.

“That’s going to be an issue for them.

“If you look at Rothwell and Tanaka, they have got players who can fill in there.

“Pascal Struijk can fill in there as well if they really need him to.

“Daniel Farke is two short of a full midfield, that’s clear, but I’m not convinced there’s a need to enter the market for free agents just yet.

“If either Rothwell or Tanaka get injured, though, there will be a need for that.

“Farke might have to change his formation as well, he’s been quite rigid in always playing a 4-2-3-1, but if he plays with one deeper midfielder instead of two, it limits the blow.

“At the moment, though, I think they’ve got enough to cope.”

In other news, Leeds have been backed to complete the signing of Chiekhou Kouyate.

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