NafisaLeeds United handed Gabriel Gudmundsson injury blow as Daniel Farke confirms defender could miss Premier League start
Leeds United have been dealt an early injury setback ahead of the new Premier League season, with Daniel Farke confirming that Gabriel Gudmundsson could miss the opening games of the campaign.
The Sweden international picked up the injury during Leeds’ pre-season victory over Liverpool last week, forcing Farke to make an early change as the Whites continued their preparations for another season in the top flight.
There had initially been hopes that the problem would not prove too serious, but Farke has now delivered a worrying update.
Speaking after Leeds’ 2-0 friendly victory over RB Leipzig at Elland Road, the Leeds boss confirmed that Gudmundsson is suffering from a muscle injury and could be unavailable when the Premier League gets underway.
Farke said: “Bad news with Gabi, a muscle injury.
“Obviously he had a difficult summer anyway because he was just injured before the World Cup and got fit for the World Cup but came back later and right now it’s a muscle injury.”
The Leeds manager then admitted that the initial assessment is not particularly encouraging.
“The initial assessment is probably that he misses the start of the Premier League season,” Farke added.
“At the moment it is too early to speak overall about his injury, four weeks.
“The first week is right now so nearly done but it could easily be that he misses the first game or the first two games.”
The update will come as a significant concern for Leeds, particularly given the importance Gudmundsson has had in Farke’s plans.
The 27-year-old has established himself as the club’s first-choice option at left-back, and his absence would leave Leeds needing to find an alternative during the opening weeks of the season.
James Justin provides Farke with an experienced option who can operate on either side of the defence, while youngster Jayden Lienou has also been given opportunities during pre-season.
However, losing Gudmundsson at such an important stage of preparations is still a blow.
Leeds have already been working to build a squad capable of avoiding another relegation battle, with the club making several significant additions during the summer.
The Whites have brought in Harry Wilson, Tarik Muharemovic and club-record signing James Trafford as Farke looks to strengthen his squad after last season’s 14th-place finish.
Gudmundsson’s injury now presents the manager with another issue to solve.
There is at least some uncertainty over the exact length of his absence, with Farke stressing that it is still too early to provide a definitive timeline.
The initial expectation is that he could miss the opening game or first two games rather than face a lengthy spell on the sidelines.
That will give Leeds hope that the Sweden international can return sooner rather than later.
For now, though, Farke will have to prepare for the possibility of starting the Premier League campaign without one of his most important defensive players.
The injury comes as Leeds continue their final preparations for the new season, and the 2-0 victory over RB Leipzig provided plenty of encouragement despite the Gudmundsson setback.
Dominic Calvert-Lewin opened the scoring before Lukas Nmecha added a second to secure an impressive win for the Whites at Elland Road.
But the result was overshadowed somewhat by the latest news on Gudmundsson.
With the Premier League campaign rapidly approaching, Leeds will now hope the defender’s recovery progresses quickly and that his absence is limited to the minimum period suggested by Farke.
For the moment, however, the message from the Leeds boss is clear: Gudmundsson is facing a race against time to be ready for the start of the Premier League season.
Nafisa
