Leeds United attacking midfielder Pablo Hernandez has been ruled out for a month after suffering a hamstring injury early in the Fulham defeat.

Hernandez started for the Whites in their 2-1 loss to the Cottagers at the weekend but his time on the pitch was short-lived as he had to be withdrawn after three minutes, following an injury.

Leeds headed into the game looking to bounce back from a devastating 3-3 draw with Cardiff City last week, having been 3-0 up after an hour. This game presented Leeds with a chance to restore daylight between themselves and the chasing pack. However, Leeds’ fortunes from the outset were not great as Hernandez was hauled off for Gjanni Alioski, to which Leeds never really got going.

The Spaniard has struggled with injury throughout this season after missing a lengthy spell with different muscular problems in the draw against Derby County back in September.

Speaking in his press conference before the Boxing Day clash against Preston North End, Marcelo Bielsa was obviously asked immediately about the fitness of Hernandez and how long he is set to be out for. 

As quoted by Leeds Live, the Argentine confirmed that Hernandez will be out for “one month”, ruling him out until mid-January.

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The Verdict

This is a massive blow for Leeds who typically look a clearly worse side without Hernandez’s inclusion. This was shown in the run they had recently without him, as Helder Costa failed to make the impact everyone expected of him.

Leeds will have to do without their most creative player for the imminent challenging run of fixtures, and the honus on players like Costa and Klich will skyrocket while Hernandez sits out.