Injury expert: Phillips ‘likely’ to be out for ‘four months’ in devastating Leeds blow
Kalvin Phillips could be out for as long as four months in a devastating blow for Leeds United.
So says injury expert Ben Dinnery, who runs the Premier Injuries site and has a background in medicine and data analysis.
Phillips has not featured since Leeds’ 2-2 draw with Brentford on 5 December when he was forced off with a suspected hamstring injury.
That news has since been confirmed, and The Athletic reported on Monday (13 December) that Phillips will be out for at least two months following surgery.
He joins an extraordinary Leeds injury list of nine senior players, including fellow ever-present Patrick Bamford and captain Liam Cooper.
But things could go from bad to worse for Marcelo Bielsa’s side as Dinnery predicts that Phillps could be sidelined for twice as long as is being touted.
“We’re talking about a player who’s going under the knife,” he told Football Insider‘s Adam Williams.
“Two months to me always seemed very optimistic, to me. Typically, the data suggests that three to four months is more likely.
“That 105-day mark is what we usually see. We have seen examples in the past of players who have been out even longer than that.
“Danny Welbeck has had a couple of these procedures. If he returns on Boxing Day, which is possible, that will be bang-on three months. Sarmiento from Brighton looks like he will be closer to four months.
“So you can’t rule out this two-month timeline, but things would have to go really, really well. That would be the exception rather than the norm.“
Phillips is a vital cog in the Leeds machine and has featured 15 times across all competitions this season.
His Leeds are 16th in the league table and have won just once in their last eight games.
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