Leeds United forward Jean-Kevin Augustin is currently being assessed after pulling up from training with a possible recurrence of the hamstring injury suffered earlier in the year, The Athletic’s Phil Hay claims.
The Frenchman was signed from RB Leipzig on a temporary basis at the beginning of the year shortly after Arsenal decided to recall Eddie Nketiah from his loan stint due to the reduced playing time.
Augustin has since barely made an impact for Leeds with just three substitute appearances totalling 49 minutes and he missed the club’s final three games before the coronavirus shutdown in March due to a hamstring issue.
Earlier last month, it was reported that the Frenchman had made good progress in training following his recovery and the club’s coaching staff believe that he could make a big impact when the league campaign resumes.
However, that may not be the case, with Hay reporting that the 22-year-old has suffered a recurrence of the hamstring problem which kept him on the sidelines earlier in the year.
Leeds have yet to officially confirm the setback for the ex-AS Monaco loanee, but the fans will be hoping that the versatile forward has only picked up a minor injury.
Otherwise, he could be sidelined for the remainder of the Championship season and that could leave manager Marcelo Bielsa with limited options in the centre-forward department.
Obviously, the Argentine manager has had the preference to play Patrick Bamford upfront but there may be the need for rotation with nine league games due to be played in less than five weeks’ time.
The west Yorkshire outfit could play another three matches, suppose they drop from the top-two into the play-off positions. In Augustin’s potential absence, Tyler Roberts remains the only other centre-forward choice at the manager’s disposal.
Meanwhile, Leeds agreed to sign Augustin on loan in January with the obligation to buy for around £17m, suppose they return to the Premier League after a 16-year hiatus.
They have a good chance of sealing automatic promotion with a seven-point lead over third-placed Fulham and Augustin could find himself signing a permanent deal with the club this summer without making any impact on the playing field.
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