Leeds manager Marcelo Bielsa has confirmed an early weekend boost for United, as the Whites have no fresh injury concerns going into the Championship fixture at home to Nottingham Forest, as quoted by Leeds Live.
United opened the season with a 3-1 win on the road at Bristol City last weekend, but took to Ashton Gate with three main injury concerns, with Luke Ayling, Tyler Roberts and last season’s top goalscorer Kemar Roofe ruled out of action.
Roofe is no longer a concern for the Whites following his move to RSC Anderlecht, while Bielsa has confirmed that Roberts is closing in on a return to action but refused to disclose the precise date he has in mind.
Our Argentine head coach added that Gaetano Berardi is also back in the first-team squad preparing to face Sabri Lamouchi’s side, following his suspension carried over from the end of last season.
“We don’t have any injured players,” Bielsa stated. “I cannot tell you I will imagine any changes in the players I want to play. Berardi’s going to add to the squad.”
He went on to add: “Tyler Roberts is a very important player for us.
“He’s an offensive player with some very clear capabilities, so we are missing him. We would like him to be in our unit. We would like to have him now with us for two reasons: the football things, but the most important thing is how he is as a human.
“Now he has another injury, which is going to help him to recover. Then from this injury, he will start the last part of the recovery process. He has been working very, very hard and being very professional during this recovery.
“He has one idea, but, when we are talking about medical things, it is not right to tell anything before it happens.”
Forest may also be the first opposition to face summer signing Helder Costa from kick-off, after the one-time Portugal international made his competitive Leeds debut as a 76th-minute substitute for Mateusz Klich.
“In football, you have a rule that you have to consist of,” Bielsa said. “The rule is that the player [who] is in the better condition, plays every game. This rules have a lot more details.
“You have to think about the result of the other games, conditions during the week, these things. But Helder has the same rules that every player in professional football. He has to have to wish and to have the desire to play.”