Leeds United's Championship promotion rivals handed injury blow with key Sheffield United man set for surgery
Leeds United are only a month away from travelling to Bramall Lane.
Sheffield United have suffered a significant injury blow with striker Kieffer Moore set for surgery on a hernia issue.
The Blades briefly toppled Leeds United from the top of the Championship after beating Norwich City on Saturday, albeit Daniel Farke’s side quickly reasserted their frontrunner status with a 3-0 win over Sheffield Wednesday. Moore missed the clash at Bramall Lane and hadn’t played a single minute since his side’s New Year’s Day defeat at Sunderland.
The Welshman had been playing through the pain over Christmas but with Sheffield United in better health overall, the Star reports he will now undergo surgery. There is no suggestion how long the striker could be absent but Georginio Rutter recovered relatively quickly from a hernia operation last season, returning to play in less than two weeks.
That is not the only fitness issue Wilder is having to manage, with Tom Davies forced off during the second-half of Saturday’s victory over Norwich. Defender Sam McCallum also picked up a knock as Sheffield United prepare to face Swansea City on Tuesday.
“Tom is going for a scan and hopefully that won't be too bad, the results of that scan,” Wilder said. “We're doubtful he'll be available for Tuesday and we're hopeful Sam will be okay. It was just a contact injury, Robbo crashed into him when they were trying to clear up a situation. We're under the impression that won't be more than one or two games, so that's good news for Tom.”
Moore’s absence will be a big blow for Sheffield United, however long the frontman is out for, but Leeds’ main promotion rivals enjoyed a big boost on Monday following the arrival of Ben Brereton Diaz. The Chilean returned to Bramall Lane on loan from Southampton, adding another dimension to their frontline. Wilder is also hoping to have midfielder Vinicius Souza and on-loan Crystal Palace winger Jesurun Rak-Sakyi back at some point this week.
“They're going to train this morning so it's good news for us all, and those two as well,” Wilder said on Rak-Sakyi and Souza. “They trained this morning and hopefully they’ll be on the journey to South Wales tomorrow night. But it's not nailed on.
“We have to be sensible with our approach with 19 games to go, not to push too hard today or risk tomorrow. They will definitely be involved on Friday [vs Hull City]. But if they can be involved tomorrow, that will be great.”
Sheffield United can go top again with victory at the Swansea.com Stadium, with Leeds not back in action until Wednesday evening. Farke’s side are back at Elland Road to host his former club, Norwich City, and will hope to build on Sunday’s impressive win over Sheffield Wednesday.
Leeds are now nine unbeaten in the league and have not lost at home since the 1-0 defeat against Burnley in September. The Whites have since won 10 of their last 11 at Elland Road, taking 31 points from a possible 33 and conceding just three goals in the process.