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Leeds Live

Sport

Oliver Jones

Leeds United's biggest winners and losers over the international break

Leeds United Javi Gracia Max Wober Wilfried Gnonto Jesse Marsch Tyler Adams Crysencio Summerville Weston McKennie EPL Whites

Leeds United fans will finally get a return to normality as the Whites travel down to the Emirates Stadium to face league leaders Arsenal this weekend as Premier League football gets underway again following the international break.

Over the past two weeks, there have been Leeds stars that have played throughout senior and youth levels for numerous different nations.

And while others have triumphed in the best possible way, others won't come back to Elland Road as happy after suffering injuries.

So, here are Leeds United's biggest winners and losers over the international break...

Winners

Liam Cooper

The Leeds United captain has had a great international break, even though he was only on the pitch for 15 minutes as he travelled back over the border to play for Scotland.

A stunning 2-0 win for Scotland over Spain saw him help keep a clean sheet and start Steve Clarke's side's EURO 2024 qualification campaign off on a massive success.

On top of that, while he'll certainly be feeling bad for teammate Max Wober after his injury, it will mean he could get an extended period of starts under Javi Gracia - something we've not yet seen happen under the new Leeds boss.

Weston McKennie

The USMNT star's stocks have gone way up over the last week as he finally showed what he can bring to Leeds. Two goals and an assist over their two matches have shown how McKennie must be used in order to bring out his full potential.

It's been quite a slow start for the American at Elland Road, despite the hyped-up pairing of him and childhood friend Tyler Adams, but there have been flickers of what's to come.

Now those flickers have become a full-on flame and with Adams out injured, it'll be a huge relief in the eyes of Leeds fans to see that they'll have a good replacement that is coming back to Thorp Arch full of confidence.

Crysencio Summerville

The Dutchman opened his account after just five minutes as he and his Netherlands Under-21s teammates ran riot over Norway's Under-21s in a 3-0 win.

It's been two starts and two appearances off the bench for the 21-year-old since Gracia came into the dugout but now it could easily be a string of starts that he hasn't seen since October following Gnonto's injury.

Losers

Max Wober

Arguably Leeds' biggest loss over the international break is centre-back Max Wober after the 25-year-old limped off against Azerbaijan with a muscle injury in his thigh while on duty for Austria.

Leeds are not reportedly worried too much over the longevity of the injury, however any kind of disruption to his incredible form since his arrival from Red Bull Salzburg in January will not be kind.

He's played all 360 minutes of league football under Gracia so far, and will be sorely missed in one of the biggest games of the season this weekend.

Wilfried Gnonto

Another player that is a doubt for this weekend, Gnonto also limped off in his second game of the break with what looked like a sprained ankle.

The 19-year-old has been one of the standout stars for the Whites even under Jesse Marsch, having adjusted to the speed and strength of the Premier League very quickly.

Fortunately, his 'partner-in-crime' Crysencio Summerville will be able to fill in for him while he recovers and hopefully makes a big impact as the run-in to the end of the season nears.

Javi Gracia

Gracia has done a great job in the role so far having taken over from Jesse Marsch just over a month ago, but this is the period that will be a serious test.

Wober has started all four games under him and Gnonto is a clear favourite under the Spaniard but those two will now be ruled out for an unknown amount of time.

Also losing Tyler Adams, who has been vital in the heart of the midfield throughout the campaign, could be a brutal blow with reports claiming his season could well be over, even with 11 games to go.

If Gracia's options are limited in the last few weeks, and Leeds start to slide back down the table, it could be cutting it very fine given the already-close nature of the relegation battle.