Phil Hay of The Athletic has claimed that the shock defeat over the weekend in the FA Cup has led to a change in Marcelo Bielsa’s plans this week.
Leeds lost 3-0 against Crawley Town on Sunday where Bielsa’s squad gamble didn’t pay-off.
The decision to withdraw Liam Cooper and Pascal Struijk, both of whom are expected to be in the squad against Brighton & Hove Albion in the Premier League clash, left Leeds brutally exposed at the back.
Bielsa initially said that he would use Diego Llorente, the summer signing from Real Sociedad, in the under-23s to develop his fitness.
Llorente has struggled with injuries since joining his new club and has managed only one appearance this season so far.
The Spain international was lined up for an outing with the under-23s at Burnley on Monday, but when the line-up was published, he was missing.
Phil Hay of the Athletic has claimed that he has recovered from muscle strain and that his absence was not injury-related or down to fresh injury concerns.
The Athletic journalist has added that Llorente looks set to be fully involved in first-team training this week. The news will come as a massive boost for Leeds who are without Robin Koch at the moment.
Koch picked up a knee injury while playing against Chelsea. He has undergone surgery and the German international is expected to be out for three months.
Leeds skipper Liam Cooper featured in the FA Cup defeat. It remains to be seen whether Llorente makes his first start for the Whites against Brighton on Saturday.
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