By Russell Edge

26th Mar, 2018 | 6:11pm

Confirmed Leeds bombshell leaves 26-year-old chance to rescue himself from last chance saloon

COMMENT

There is no doubt that Leeds fans will be left scratching their heads when it comes to selecting a player of the year come the end of the season.

Quite frankly, no one has lived up to expectation, and the club’s bitterly disappointing league position is testament to just how much the squad have let down the Elland Road faithful.

As club legend Eddie Gray put it: “The average player needs to be better. The club went for quantity and without being disrespectful, there are too many who haven’t shown enough quality.”

While he has not been consistent, the front runner for the award is likely to be Samu Saiz, the Spaniard offering a spark of excitement and attacking impetus when his teammates have looked less than impressive.

Unfortunately for the Whites, manager Paul Heckingbottom has confirmed a major bombshell when it comes to the 27-year-old, revealing that his star playmaker has suffered an injury blow which looks set to keep him out of the club’s upcoming matches.

He was quoted by the Yorkshire Evening Post as saying: “He’s got a little tear in the tendon of the hamstring.

“We may be able to get him through to the end of the season – there’s always a risk with that and the last thing we want to do is put him out for a long period of time.”

His absence means that one of the many “average” players Gray spoke of, all of who seem to be in the last chance saloon to save their Elland Road careers, will have to step up to the plate, and one man who certainly needs to lift his performances in 26-year-old Ezgjan Alioski.

The Macedonian has had his bright moments but has not been consistent enough, one of the biggest issues raised by Gray, and needs to start showing he has what it takes to influence games in the same manner as Saiz.

He has contributed one goal and one assist in his last 15 league appearances, a record which simply is not good enough, and things need to change immediately.

Saiz’s absence must be the catalyst for Saiz to lift his game – otherwise it could well be game over come the summer.

In other Leeds United news, fans have been left raving after one man’s shock reveal.

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