Marcelo Bielsa has confirmed that the injury Diego Llorente suffered in the opening stages of Leeds United’s win at Newcastle United is ‘similar’ to the one that has plagued him in recent weeks. The Spanish international was forced off after ten minutes at St James’ Park in what was his first start for the club since he joined in the summer transfer window.
Marcelo Bielsa said “He has a similar problem to the one he had before, it’s a problem for him, for us, for all of us. In this moment, what worries me is Diego’s state of mind, given the succession of injuries he has had. It’s natural that he’s sad because of this now and we share that sadness.”
Marcelo Bielsa said “He has a similar problem to the one he had before, Llorente, who was an unused substitute against Brighton & Hove Albion and only other Leeds appearance so far came off the bench in last month’s defeat at Chelsea, went down after just eight minutes and was then replaced by Pascal Struijk. In Monday’s pre-match press conference Bielsa had spoken about what Llorente would bring to his side.
Marcelo Bielsa said “The minutes with the 23s was an aspect that was missing so that he could return with us,” the Whites head coach said. “Llorente has the characteristics of a strong defender. He is a player who is happy recovering the ball. “He’s the player who has physical attributes who can help in the aerial game and the physical game on the ground. Leeds are next in action on Sunday afternoon when they visit Leicester City.”
