
Leeds United suffered a significant blow last weekend, with Ethan Ampadu suffering an injury midway through the match against Coventry City. The Leeds captain will be out until at least January after sustaining a knee ligament injury in their Championship win.
Ampadu being out for the rest of 2024 isn’t hurting Leeds as the Wales national team will have to figure out how to replace the 24-year-old. Since making his international debut in 2017, he’s made 54 appearances for the Dragons.
The midfielder won’t just miss a significant part of the Yorkshire side’s promotion campaign; he’ll also be sidelined for Wales’ matches against Iceland and Montenegro this month, as well as the November games against Turkey and Iceland.
Wales manager Craig Bellamy talks about the injury to Ethan Ampadu
Welsh boss Bellamy has shared that he’s spoken to the Leeds star, who is fully focused on putting in the hard work now so he can hit the ground running when he returns to action.
“It’s tough for Ethan,” Bellamy said (h/t Leeds Live). “I’m really disappointed we don’t have him because of the talent and character he is. I spoke to him on Monday, but he’s a young man who is strong.
“He said, ‘No problem, it’s a little bit of a setback but I know how hard I have to work when I come back’. He will hit the ground running when he comes back and have a huge say for Leeds and us.”
Leeds will be counting on Ao Tanaka to play a role in helping replace Ampadu in their starting 11. The Japanese native made his first start on Tuesday and made a good impression. Nonetheless, it will be interesting to see how Wales navigates replacing Ampadu.
This upcoming international window will be vital in determining how Wales will look without Ampadu and whether or not it will be successful. On the other hand, Leeds will need to replace another midfielder, Ilia Gruev, who suffered an injury against Norwich City.
Following the Sunderland contest, Leeds will catch a break with the FIFA international break. However, some players will be heading out to their respective national teams, and the risk of injury will worsen the situation.
