"The worst" - Leeds United: Ally McCoist reacts live on air to Ethan Ampadu news | OneFootball

Leeds' key man is set to be out for up to ten weeks with a knee ligament injury

Former footballer and current pundit Ally McCoist has given his reaction to the news that Leeds United captain Ethan Ampadu is set to be sidelined until January 2025 after he sustained a knee ligament injury in their win against Coventry City last time out.

24-year-old Ampadu has been a standout for Leeds since he joined the club from Chelsea in July last year for a reported initial fee of £7m, but Daniel Farke is set to be without him for at least ten weeks until he is back in full training after he took a blow to his knee in a challenge with the Sky Blues' midfielder Ben Sheaf.

The Welsh international has been a mainstay in the starting XI since his arrival at Elland Road, both at centre-back and in defensive midfield, and was appointed captain by Farke prior to this campaign following Liam Cooper's departure, proving just how important he is to the club.

He is set to be a huge miss for the Whites in their quest to consistently challenge at the top of the Championship over the next few months, and McCoist has shared that sentiment in comments he made this morning.

Ally McCoist reacts to "nightmare" Ethan Ampadu news

Speaking in his press conference prior to Leeds' game against Norwich City, boss Farke confirmed that Ampadu will not require knee surgery, but the injury is still serious and will be treated as such.

Ampadu has started all eight games for the Whites so far this season, and barely missed a minute prior to being taken off in the Coventry game, and pundit McCoist gave his view on just how much of a blow the injury is to Farke's side for the next few months on talkSPORT on Tuesday morning (October 1).

He said: "Leeds United captain Ethan Ampadu will be out until at least January having sustained a knee ligament injury in the Championship win against Coventry.

"Nightmare. We’re seeing so many injuries now and the knee ligaments are the ones, ankle ligaments are the worst as you know."

Ampadu's absence is a huge blow to Leeds

The Whites' attacking players understandably stole the headlines last season for their impressive exploits in front of goal, but Ampadu's class and versatility were such a huge asset to Farke, and it was imperative that the club made sure they kept him around for this term.

His pedigree has been clear to see since he made the move from Exeter City to Chelsea as a 16-year-old in 2017, and became the first player born in the 2000s to play for the Chelsea senior team later that year.

Loan spells at RB Leipzig, Sheffield United, Spezia and Venezia followed, with varying degrees of success, and he made the permanent move to Leeds last summer in the hope that he could find a real permanent home for the first time in his career.

He has done that, and more, after his 46 league appearances in his debut campaign saw him named in the Championship's and PFA's respective Team of the Season, but Leeds could not quite make it back to the Premier League in May, and so he has had to step up even further this time around after a big summer turnover of the squad.

Farke must now find alternatives to him in midfield, which should be doable with the likes of Ao Tanaka, Joe Rothwell and Charlie Crew able to step in alongside Ilia Gruev and perform to a decent standard, but it is at the back where the 24-year-old could be seriously missed, with Max Wober also currently sidelined through injury, and just Pascal Struijk and Joe Rodon as Farke's senior centre-back options going forward.