Every international break presents difficulties for clubs, and Leeds will have to observe the March fixtures carefully after Stuart Dallas and Bailey Peacock-Farrell were named in the Northern Ireland squad.
Michael O’Neill has called the Whites duo up for their Euro 2020 qualifiers with Estonia and Belarus, which could be problematic back in West Yorkshire should either develop injuries.
Marcelo Bielsa has only just been able to return Dallas to his matchday squad following his fractured foot, and the 27-year-old is yet to start a game since.
He is, however, a regular under O’Neill, with the versatile wide-man only absent from one Northern Ireland squad since 2016.
As for Peacock-Farrell, if the 22-year-old develops a significant blow while away with his country, he will leave our manager fretting over Kiko Casilla’s fitness levels with no alternative to turn to.
Annoyingly, promotion-rivals Sheffield United will not have the same concerns over their key central midfielder Olivier Norwood, who has been omitted from the Northern Ireland squad for personal reasons.