Izzy Brown was a shock starter for the Under-23s last week and played 45 minutes in his first action since arriving at Leeds from Chelsea over the summer.
He was confident afterwards that he would play 90 minutes in the next Under-23s game on Monday before being available for first-team selection.
However, manager Marcelo Bilesa has struck a cautionary note in his press conference ahead of the Bristol City game on Saturday.
He said that Brown “hasn’t played in the last year.” He added that he didn’t know “how long it will take for him to find his level again. We can’t ignore that a player hasn’t played in the last year.”
Bielsa on Izzy Brown: "He hasn't played in the last year. I don't know how long it will take for him to find his level again. We can't ignore the fact that a player hasn't played in the last year." #lufc
— Phil Hay (@PhilHay_) November 22, 2018
OPINION
Leeds fans got very excited when Izzy Brown said he would be available for the first-team next week. It seems that Brown may have been getting a bit excited too, although if he gets through a full 90 minutes in the next Under-23s game on Monday then at least his fitness is back. After that it will be getting him back to the level he needs to be at to play in the Championship. And here Bielsa has sounded a cautionary note although it’s not surprising. Brown hasn’t played first-team football since January for Brighton and that’s almost a year out. Fans are very keen to see him in the side and making an impact as soon as possible, especially with the current injury crisis at the club, but it doesn’t sound like he’ll be back for the Sheffield United game next Saturday. His first prognosis was a January return and that might not be far off, although expect to see him on the bench in December. And it will be worth keeping an eye on the Under-23 games, starting on Monday. If he starts turning on the form he could return a lot quicker.