Davide Somma may have played his last game for Leeds after going under the surgeon`s knife once again with his persistent knee injury.
Somma has seen little action in the past two years after suffering a cruciate knee ligament injury in pre-season 2011.
The South African international has had a number of setbacks in the past two years and his latest one comes after playing just six minutes as a substitute against Burnley in midweek.
It is a huge blow for Somma who was hoping to prove he was worth a new deal at Elland Road under new boss Brian McDermott with his current deal at the club coming to an end this summer.
The 28-year-old looked like he had a bright future at Leeds after originally signing in 2009. Manager Simon Grayson sent him out on loan to get used to the English game and he enjoyed a very successful loan spell with League Two side Lincoln City where he netted 9 times in 14 games. His form at Lincoln had shown Grayson enough to reward him with a new one-year deal and he took his opportunity the following season.
He scored twice on his championship debut for Leeds when he came on as a late substitute against Millwall. He netted four times in his first four games and his early season form earned him a new three-year deal.
Despite being mainly used as a substitute in his first full season, he netted 12 times in 32 appearances with only 13 being starts.
Somma suffered a cruciate knee ligament injury in a practice match in pre-season, an injury that saw him miss the whole season. He was twice on the verge of a first team comeback but he suffered setbacks and complications with his knee.
He finally returned as a substitute against Middlesbrough in December after over 18-months out. In his second appearance from the bench against Nottingham Forest, he scored his first game in almost two years.
Somma made a rare start in Leeds next game at Hull City but he continued to struggle with his original injury and after coming off the bench against Birmingham and Tottenham in January, he was sidelined for almost three months as the injury flared up once again.
It looked like he was going to get a chance to show new Leeds boss Brian McDermott what he could do in the final few games of the season when he returned to the squad against Sheffield Wednesday. He came off the bench for the final few minutes against Burnley in midweek but once again, the injury has flared up forcing him to require more surgery.
With Somma coming to the end of his contract in June, it sadly looks like he will have played for the last time for Leeds.
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