Leeds teen in frame as three midfielders ruled out for West Ham finale | OneFootball

Leeds United face a midfield headache for Sunday’s Premier League finale at West Ham, with three absentees and a teenager under consideration.

According to yorkshireeveningpost.co.uk, Ilia Gruev’s meniscus problem has ended his season, Anton Stach sustained a deep ankle cut requiring stitches during the win over Brighton, and Sean Longstaff has had a minor hernia operation. None will feature this weekend, while Noah Okafor and Gabi Gudmundsson are also unavailable.

Daniel Farke is weighing established options. Captain Ethan Ampadu and Ao Tanaka can anchor the centre, and Brenden Aaronson could operate a little deeper, although he is generally used higher up. Joel Piroe has also filled a deeper role at times.

Under-21s midfielder Rhys Chadwick, 19, has trained around the senior group and was an unused substitute last weekend. He has yet to make a league debut but is among the potential solutions.

Farke admitted the triple absence leaves a problem, noting you cannot carry seven or eight for two positions without unbalancing the squad. He said younger players could travel and that several in the current group might cover different roles. He described it as a tricky situation.

18-year-old Alfie Cresswell, younger brother of former Leeds defender Charlie, was also an unused substitute. For the Under-21s he has featured both as a defensive midfielder and in central midfield.

Source: yorkshireeveningpost.co.uk