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Leeds United defender Robin Koch to undergo knee surgery

The German international picked up a significant knock at Stamford Bridge.

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Chelsea v Leeds United - Premier League
The German defender was hauled off the pitch early on at Stamford Bridge, watching on with an ice pack strapped to his knee.
Photo by Matthew Childs - Pool/Getty Images

Robin Koch is due to undergo knee surgery following his injury against Chelsea which ruled him out of the game.

Leeds United say that the club medics have been nursing the injury since Koch’s debut against Liverpool all the way back in September, with the German international playing every league game since then.

The club have also indicated to The Athletic that the injury isn’t major, but it is yet unclear how big an operation is required. He will be out for a bit at least, but he is not expected to be out long-term as he undergoes surgery on Tuesday (08/12/20).

The surgery will take place in London and a recovery timescale is as yet unknown, and won’t be until the operation is completed. In the meantime, Diego Llorente has a big job on his hands as he is now set to step-up significantly within the team.

Fans have been looking forward to seeing Llorente on the pitch in a Leeds jersey, but his injury against Portugal for Spain a few months ago had him out for a significant time period with a couple setbacks and recurrences.

Chelsea v Leeds United - Premier League
Llorente had a mixed debut performance, showing some real moments of quality and confidence, while in other moments his lack of match sharpness showed.
Photo by Darren Walsh/Chelsea FC via Getty Images

Now, Leeds are in the busy Christmas period with a centre-back learning on the job, just as Robin Koch did at the start of the season. We saw some promising qualities in Llorente against Chelsea. with his speed, passing and assured style bringing some moments of high quality from the Spaniard.

But, like any new player who has hardly trained, mistakes are likely, and we therefore must try to be patient with Llorente. But on the other hand you would hope that his experience will see him through this bedding-in period. Only time will tell.