Leeds United is going to have to cope without Tyler Adams for the foreseeable future after the midfielder was confirmed to have undergone surgery on a hamstring issue.
The Whites are gearing up for a trip to Arsenal this weekend, starting their final stretch of games in the Premier League that will decide their fate in the battle against relegation.
Last week’s international break saw Tyler Adams remain on the sidelines after missing the trip to Wolves with a hamstring injury.
He remains out this weekend and for the foreseeable after it was confirmed by Phil Hay that he had undergone surgery on the issue.
Here, we look at two players who we think have to step up in the absence of Adams…
Weston McKennie
t seems pretty obvious how Javi Gracia will cope without Adams, given how Leeds played in the win over Wolves with Marc Roca and Weston McKennie in the double pivot.
That is likely to be the same again after McKennie’s successful venture with the USMNT, and he is going to have to replicate the energy shown by Adams at the base of midfield.
Leeds struggles to break up play without their lynchpin in the middle, and McKennie is going to have to cover him very well here.
Marc Roca is still the man we expect to be dictating possession when Leeds does win it back, but McKennie will have to put in a huge shift against the Gunners.
Arsenal v Leeds predictions
In terms of who fills Adams’ place in the squad, you would expect that impressive youngster Darko Gyabi would step into that role on the bench as the first sub.
It seems a huge ask for Gyabi to come into the squad for a relegation scrap, but if any youngster in our under-21s has shown that they are capable of playing regularly, it’s him.
He offers something a lot different to Adams in possession, showing a better range of passing than the American, while being very comfortable under pressure.
With Adam Forshaw someone we can’t rely on, Gyabi should be the player to step up.
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