Thomas Christiansen has confirmed that Everton loanee Matthew Pennington will play against Sheffield Wednesday on Sunday.
He also said that Eunan O’Kane and Vurnon Anita would be back, and that Caleb Ekuban remains the only long-term casualty for Leeds.
Christiansen was talking in the pre-match press conference ahead of the Yorkshire derby on Sunday.
Sheffield Wednesday haven’t won in three games now, and lost their last two against Sheffield United and Birmingham, but Christiansen is expecting a tough game.
“They play at home and they have to show that these last two games were two mistakes,” Christiansen said.
“They have pressure on them. We have pressure on us but there’s bigger pressure on them because they’ve started badly.”
Asked about whether Pennington would play, he said: “I feel he will be a good replacement [for Liam Cooper] and do well in this game and then after that we will see.”
It would mark Pennington’s second start in a Leeds shirt after injuring himself in the opening game against Bolton.
OPINION
Leeds really missed O’Kane against Cardiff and fans will be very happy to see him back in the side. He’s played in all nine of the Championship games prior to the defeat and has been a driving force behind their great results. Fans will also be glad to see Matthew Pennington back in a Leeds shirt after injuring himself in the opening day win against Bolton. Pennington made his return for the second half against Cardiff and Leeds improved immeasurably, despite being down to 10 men after Liam Cooper got himself sent off. It’s a really important game for Leeds and being back to full strength, putting Cooper’s suspension to one side, should give them a great chance of securing three points.