Leeds United’s automatic promotion hopes suffered another blow on Tuesday, when the Championship club confirmed that Ezgjan Alioski has been ruled out for the rest of the season.
The 27-year-old suffered a knee injury just twelve minutes into the 2-0 defeat to Brentford at Griffin Park on Monday evening, as the Whites’ automatic promotion hopes suffered a major blow.
Alioski has played in all 47 matches for Leeds in all competitions this season, scoring seven goals and providing five assists for his teammates.
His contribution to the team this season cannot be underestimated and he will be a big miss for the rest of the season.
The injury to Alioski leaves head coach Marcelo Bielsa without an experienced left-back for the remainder of the campaign.
Barry Douglas has been ruled out for the rest of the season after undergoing surgery on a knee ligament injury and 21-year-old Tom Pearce is on loan at Scunthorpe United.
Stuart Dallas, who replaced Alioski at Griffin Park on Monday, is expected to fill in at left-back for the remainder of the season, but one player who may feel he has a chance of breaking into the team is Gaetano Berardi.
The 30-year-old has endured a frustrating season at Elland Road due to injury, but started the campaign in good form.
The Swiss defender started the season paired with Liam Cooper at centre-back, but was forced to miss six matches of campaign after suffering a knee injury in August.
Berardi then suffered a hamstring injury against Ipswich Town in October, forcing him to miss five months of the season, but decided not to undergo surgery.
The defender has only made four appearances for the Whites since returning from his latest setback, but will feel he has a chance of forcing his way into the team.
Berardi is a fan favourite at Elland Road and impressed Bielsa with his committed performances during the first half of the season.
He is an experienced defender, has played at left-back before and has shown already this season that he is prepared to step into the team when required.
Berardi’s decision not to undergo surgery, which would have almost certainly ended his season, could prove crucial should Bielsa decided to call upon him.
Leeds need back-to-back wins from their final two league matches against Aston Villa and Ipswich to stand any chance of automatic promotion and a season which once promised so much now looks almost certain to end with the play-offs.
Berardi will be hoping that he can force his way into Bielsa's plans, ahead of an important few weeks that will define the team's season.