Leeds United will travel to Goodison Park on Saturday afternoon to face Everton in the Premier League.
Marcelo Bielsa’s side are winless in their last three Premier League games (two defeats and a draw) and they will be looking to return to winning ways.
Ahead of the game, the Argentine has delivered the latest injury update (as relayed by Phil Hay of The Athletic). Pablo Hernandez is still not fit enough to play, while Diego Llorente and Jamie Shackleton are also still out injured.
Llorente picked up a muscle injury last month, and he hasn’t played since. He is yet to make his debut for the Whites, and that his recovery is taking longer than usual is a concern for the fans.
This is genuinely pissing me off now, will the club just come out and give us an accurate timeframe as to when Llorente will return? The silence of it all is worrying
— Finn Reynolds (@Finnreynolds96) November 26, 2020
Is that it . Is there no journalists now who can get proper information on injuries . The Forshaw situation is ridiculous and Llorente is going the same way . I know you are just tweeting info from the club so has the dynamic changed as to who knows what and who advises what?
— Paps (@coophos) November 26, 2020
I’ve no idea what Llorente issue is but I did see him play for Spain looked absolute quality on the ball but would be@nice to know what issue is Forshaw was huge waste of money won’t get back in
— andrew rawnsley (@razzerrawns) November 26, 2020
Llorente and Forshaw both take a holiday to Narnia or what?
— Páudrigo Moreno Machado (@paudi_lufc) November 26, 2020
Has anyone seen Llorente and Forshaw together in the same room?
— Leeds Faithful (@MaynardM) November 26, 2020
However, it is the situation with Hernandez that is bothering a lot of fans. The former Valencia winger has enjoyed a cult-hero status at Leeds, but many fans fear that there could be smoke without fire.
There is a feeling among the fans that Hernandez has been frozen out by Bielsa since his petulant reaction to being subbed off against Crystal Palace. Here are some of the selected tweets:
Think there’s more to Pablo than the club are letting on. Not convinced he’s injured, but being frozen out since his show of petulance.
Real shame if it ends like this for Pablo, because he’s a club legend. But we’re not really missing tbh.
Hope we see him again….
— Anonymous Leeds Fan 🤫 (@anonymousL33ds) November 26, 2020
Hernandez time at leeds is done then
— Greg kemp (@Gregkem52072082) November 26, 2020
Has Pablo been injured the entire time?
— JackieBuckets (@Jackie_Buckets) November 26, 2020
Hernandez as superb-sub?
The 35-year-old winger was one of the key players for Leeds last season when they achieved promotion to the Premier League. He is still a valuable member of the side, but Bielsa is likely to use him with caution.
It’s highly unthinkable that the pair would not settle the matter between themselves by now, as the Argentine is aware of Hernandez’s passion and commitment to the club.
Keeping him fit for the entire season is a challenge for Bielsa. At the same time, Leeds have enough depth in their attacking midfield areas now with club-record signing Rodrigo taking up the #10 role.
Rodrigo is getting better with every passing game, and Hernandez could well struggle to get enough game time. In a way, it’s a good sign for Leeds that Bielsa can recall a player of Hernandez’s calibre from the bench when needed.
