Injury expert Ben Dinnery says Leeds United may well have misled supporters by suggesting there is nothing to worry about in regards to a knock picked up by Raphinha against Wolves.
The Lowdown: Raphinha injured
Raphinha started for the Elland Road outfit against Wolves last weekend in the Premier League.
However, he was forced off with an injury shortly after half-time, although the club and the player himself said the problem was “nothing serious”.
The Latest: Dinnery doesn’t agree
Speaking to Football Insider, Dinnery said Raphinha could be out until mid-to-late November. He said:
“We don’t really know what this update means entirely.
“When I hear players and managers talk about injuries as ‘nothing serious’, I always take it with a pinch of salt. It can be kind of misleading.
“I have to admit, when I first saw that injury it didn’t look pretty. This was a forced external rotation of the ankle.
“There was a strong indication that there was a high sprain. There was some suggestion that there could even be a fracture involved.
“So when I saw that update from Raphinha, I took that to mean the bones are intact. That leads me to believe it is indeed a high ankle sprain.”
The Verdict: Calm the situation
Raphinha is one the club’s most important players, scoring three of their eight goals in the Premier League so far this campaign (Transfermarkt), with him now having found the back of the net 54 times in total in his career.
Even with him in the side, they have struggled, winning just one of their opening nine league matches (Sky Sports) – without him, they would surely look even worse.
It looks as though the club may have looked to calm down supporters with this news. If he does not appear this coming weekend versus Norwich City, the fans will know they had the wool pulled over their eyes. It remains to be seen whether Dinnery or Leeds are right.
In other news, this man has been suggested as a potential Bielsa replacement.