Sky Sports presenter and pundit David Prutton has said that he feels sorry for Adam Forshaw, who will have his off-season interrupted after fracturing his kneecap.
Forshaw has featured heavily for the Whites this season, and this has largely been down to the injury crisis that Leeds United have suffered. England international Kalvin Phillips had not started a game this calendar year since picking up an injury in December against Brentford prior to Monday night’s draw against Crystal Palace.
Forshaw had featured 22 times in the Premier League this term for Leeds before picking up his injury, which will likely see him out of action for the remainder of the campaign.
With Forshaw expected to watch the rest of the season from the stands, Prutton spoke ahead of their clash in south London in his column in the Yorkshire Evening Post (via MOT Leeds News) and highlighted the poor timing of the injury for the midfielder.
He wrote: “Jesse [Marsch] has confirmed that Kalvin Phillips will make his first start since injuring his hamstring in December but Leeds have lost Adam Forshaw to a fractured kneecap and it’s like any rhythm of a season in that when one player drops out another comes back.
“Adam was one of those players who was in a tricky situation that was really pulling his weight and I really feel for him with this injury.
“When you read the phrase ‘fractured kneecap’ you think ‘crikey’ but even six weeks is poor timing because, obviously, it negates the rest of this season and eats into the off-season for him.”
TIF Thoughts on David Prutton’s comments…
Forshaw missed the entirety of last season due to injury, but due to injury issues in the Leeds camp this term, he has featured perhaps on a more regular basis than anticipated, especially after returning from such a long time on the sidelines.
The English midfielder has often played either alongside an out-of-form Mateusz Klich or Robin Koch, whose natural position is as a central defender. So the injury for the 30-year-old came at the wrong time, as it would have been a good sight for the Leeds faithful to see a midfield duo of Phillips and Forshaw amid the former’s return to action.