Leeds United play down Izzy Brown injury fears after midfielder limps out of Under-23s clash
Leeds United have moved to allay fears about Izzy Brown's fitness after the midfielder limped out of a Under-23s game against Barnsley today.
Brown left the field during the first half of Leeds’ 2-0 defeat at Thorp Arch but the club clarified his condition by saying Brown was suffering from a tight hamstring and ruling out any fresh problems with the knee he injured in January.
The on-loan Chelsea player needed two operations earlier this year after damaging an ACL while on loan at Brighton last season and he is in the final throes of his recovery.
His appearance against Barnsley this afternoon was his fourth for Leeds’ development squad and the club are optimistic that his withdrawal will not affect the timescale for his first-team comeback.
Brown will be sent for scans and analysis in the next 24 hours.
The scare came with Leeds on the verge of agreeing a deal to loan Spaniard Samuel Saiz, another attacking midfielder, to Getafe.
Saiz was due to undergo a medical with the La Liga club today having told Leeds last week that he wanted to leave English football and go back to Spain.
Brown was brought in on a season-long loan from Chelsea in August as future competition for Saiz and United hop his imminent availability will soften the blow of Saiz’s sudden departure.
The deal with Chelsea was done at a time when Brown was still recovering from ACL surgery and Leeds agreed to oversee the final stages of his rehabilitation with a view to using him in the second half of the Championship season.
Under the terms of their arrangement with Chelsea, Leeds will not pay a portion of Brown’s wage until he is fit enough for first-team games.
Head coach Marcelo Bielsa warned last week that the 21-year-old would take time to regain the physical strength needed for the rigours of Championship football.
“He needs to work on his intensity and strength but that’s normal because of how little he’s played,” Bielsa said.
“The sudden movements he can make, when he sprints, when he stops, the switch of direction, the short sprints, these are the elements that are needed for a player with a technique like Izzy Brown.
“You need to have a certain level of performance to impose your technical skills. He’s working on these small details”