Leeds United defensive powerhouse Conor Shaughnessy has joined the injury list at the club while playing in the under-23 clash against Sheffield Wednesday on Monday (17 September), according to reliable journalist Beren Cross.
The Leeds Live writer, reporting from Thorp Arch in the reserve kickabout, claims on his personal Twitter account and the website that the 6’2″ (source: Transfermarkt) giant broke down with a strain and was forced off, leaving the Whites to play out the rest of the clash with just 10 men, having made all their substitutions.
The under-23s are down to 10 men. Shaughnessy off with an injury and all three substitutes have been used. #lufc https://t.co/PXDStAtzW6
— Beren Cross (@BerenCross) September 17, 2018
Shaughnessy, 22, has been on the fringes of the first team this season, with a handful of unused substitute appearances and one League Cup outing, and joins the likes of Gaetano Berardi, Kemar Roofe and Pablo Hernandez on the injury list.
Opinion
Losing Shaughnessy is not a massive blow to Leeds right now but they will be hoping that this blow is nothing serious, for he is the backup to the senior side in a season where Marcelo Bielsa has chosen to keep hold of very few centre backs. If the likes of Liam Cooper of Pontus Jansson were ruled out, then it would be up to Shaughnessy to step up to the plate either on the substitute’s bench or even potentially in the first team setup. Having him out through injury is only putting those in the senior side under more pressure not to pick up a setback of their own or be suspended, which can quite easily happen as a defender. It remains to be seen how serious this is for the young talent but considering he was forced off in the clash, it does not look as though he will be making an immediate recovery. Worrying times for Leeds and the defensive enforcer.