Leeds United are facing a lengthy spell without Kalvin Phillips after it was confirmed he would miss the next six weeks with a shoulder injury.
The Whites confirmed on Tuesday evening that their midfield star sustained a problem against Wolves despite completing the full 90 minutes.
Whilst Phillips won't require surgery, he will miss a decent chunk of Leeds' season which could take him to the beginning of December.
Leeds are suffering from a mini injury crisis, with Phillips the latest man to enter the treatment room.
Diego Llorente missed Monday's match after picking up an injury on international duty with Spain, whilst Liam Cooper limped out of the warm-up.
Adam Forshaw would be the first-choice deputy for Phillips but he remains a long-term absentee, whilst Pascal Struijk could be needed at centre-back should Cooper not recover in time for Friday's trip to Villa Park.
Whilst Marcelo Bielsa still has plenty of choices to fix the Phillips conundrum, it's far from ideal preparation for a second Premier League outing inside four days.
It seems Leeds will be without Phillips for at least five matches, with an international break in the middle of November conveniently placed from a United perspective.
Villa on Friday is the first of those matches, before a doubleheader at home to Leicester City and then away to Crystal Palace.
After the break Arsenal arrive at Elland Road before a trip to Goodison Park seven days later.
That would take Phillips up to the six-week mark on December 1, with Leeds' trip to Stamford Bridge on December 5 a realistic aim for the midfielder to return for.
However, after missing a month and a half of action, Bielsa may opt to reintroduce him from the start against West Ham on December 12 to ensure the midfielder is back up to full fitness.
Full list of matches Phillips will miss:
Aston Villa (A) - October 23
Leicester City (H) - November 2
Crystal Palace (A) - November 7
Arsenal (H) - November 21
Everton (A) - November 28
