Marcelo Bielsa stated in his pre-match press conference ahead of this Sunday's Arsenal clash that he was pleased to have Kalvin Phillips back in contention.
The midfielder has been out for the past couple of weeks with a shoulder problem but Bielsa divulged that it was "probable" that he would be involved against the Gunners.
Despite this, there was a fresh injury concern for Pablo Hernandez which rules him out this weekend and Jamie Shackleton is still building fitness. Clarification was sought on the length of time Diego Llorente remains sidelined for, with Bielsa stating he was "not yet" ready to be involved in a matchday squad following an injury relapse.
Here is the state of the Thorp Arch treatment table ahead of this weekend's fixture with Mikel Arteta's side:
Pablo Hernandez
Spanish playmaker Hernandez has endured something of a stop-start existence since his return to the top flight with Leeds. Dropped for the most recent tie with Crystal Palace and now missing for the visit of Arsenal, he will have lost a little bit of momentum.
Bielsa confirmed that Pablo's injury was not severe, but enough to keep him out of the squad this weekend.
"We add Pablo to the injury list as he picked up a muscular injury during this week. Nothing serious, but he won’t be able to play this weekend."
Diego Llorente
Fellow Spaniard Diego Llorente is yet to make his Leeds United debut, owing to an injury he initially picked up on international duty over a month ago. His presence could well have been useful in the opening stages of this season in which Leeds have conceded 17 Premier League goals.
Llorente has a wealth of top flight experience and it is doubtful he will remain on the sidelines once he is fully fit. Bielsa stressed the reasoning for his continued omission, stating it was a precautionary measure this time around.
"What happened with Llorente was that he was injured, he recovered and on the training session that he started training again he had a relapse. He is now cured, but because of the relapse he is being given extra time to fully get back just to be sure."
By the sounds of it, Llorente is not too far from being named in a matchday squad once again.
Jamie Shackleton
Youngster Jamie Shackleton will also not be involved against Arsenal after he failed to recover from a knock picked up in training prior to the Palace game. Bielsa did not go into any further detail on the problem, but did not indicate that it was something that would keep him out for an extended period.
The Argentine merely stated he would "not yet" be ready to return to the first-team fold.
Adam Forshaw
As has come to be expected, Adam Forshaw will not be returning to the first-team picture any time soon, as he continues to recuperate following surgery on a hip injury earlier this year. A relapse did occur, setting the former Middlesbrough man back in his recovery and with him yet to make an under-23s appearance this season, his return date is still very much up in the air.
Gaetano Berardi
Swiss defender Berardi is another long-term injury absentee and remains unlikely to feature this season. The full-back sacrificed his health in Leeds' run-up to the Championship title last season, ultimately succumbing to an ACL injury.
He has been rewarded with a contract extension, allowing him to go through his recovery at the club's state-of-the-art facilities, but it remains improbable that he will pull on the Leeds shirt this year.
