Joe Rodon beginning every Championship game this season is a proud feat in itself. The centre-back could well finish the season with that streak intact.
The Welshman has been reliable both in his availability but also his game play. He has been one of the most consistent performers in the whole Leeds United squad and is a natural leader even without the armband.
He’s had no time to rest and recuperate over the international break, playing in both of Wales’ World Cup qualifiers this week. So, when his international games are included, Rodon has played 48 games this season already.
The hope is that he will stay fit, having proven he has a robustness about him. But should the worst happen, United need back-up. Pascal Struijk is back available but has been more prone to injury than his defensive partner.
He missed the whole of the second half of last season with a groin injury and Daniel Farke was concerned that he could have been out for months after picking up a hamstring injury in January. Fortunately, scans showed no tendon was involved and he returned within a matter of weeks.
But should either first-choice centre-back have got injured prior to the international break, Farke would have had a headache to deal with. Both players were left grounded at various points in the matches before the break, reminding supporters of the few options available behind the pair.
Ethan Ampadu and Max Wober are the main two centre-back back-ups but both were out with injuries. The likelihood that either makes the matchday squad against Swansea City on Saturday is slim but there is good news on the horizon.
Wober was expected back in team training after the international pause having undergone a second round of knee surgery in February and so might be able to provide coverage at centre-half before long. Ampadu has meanwhile made rapid progress in recovery.
Farke revealed before the break that he was already doing ball work in training as he recovers from knee cartilage damage. The club opted against the usual route of surgery in a bid to try and get him back on the pitch for the run-in.
The manager said the midfielder might be available for the final five or six games, which would be a real boost given the nature of his setback. Ampadu would almost certainly reprise his midfield role but he’d also be there should Rodon or Struijk suffer a knock.
Ampadu’s impact on the team is clear, having kept five clean sheets and shipped just once goal in the six matches prior to his setback. In the sfive games since, Leeds have kept just one clean sheet.
