Wilfried Gnonto has not been included in the Leeds matchday squad playing Arsenal on Saturday afternoon due to an ankle injury he picked up whilst on international duty with Italy.
The 19-year-old had rolled over on his ankle in the early stages of the Azzurri’s Euro 2024 qualifier against Malta on Sunday evening and was subsequently withdrawn after 22 minutes of play.
Head coach of the national team Roberto Mancini later confirmed that Gnonto had suffered a sprain, although was not able to confirm for how long he would be out of action.
After returning to England after the international break, the teenage winger was seen by an injury specialist, Dr Rajpal Brar, who told Leeds MOT that the recovery period for an inversion sprain can vary from a few days to several weeks.
Dr Brar did confirm that Gnonto’s injury wasn’t a cause for major concern.
He said: “These can range from best case day to day to worse case being over six weeks out, but indications thus far are that this isn’t serious.”
After the game against Arsenal, Javi Gracia’s Leeds will be met with visits from Nottingham Forest on Tuesday evening and Crystal Palace next Sunday.