There is hardly a blot on Leeds United's summer recruitment for the first-team and under-23 setup. Most additions have taken to the field successfully, regardless of how much or how little they have played, while the younger signings have all integrated very well into Mark Jackson's junior side.
Robin Koch, Rodrigo and Raphinha have been most impressive, largely due to the fact they have played most regularly.
Each member of the trio has added some continental quality to Leeds' squad, whether it be Raphinha's out-to-in runs, Rodrigo's vision or Koch's reading of the game, they have raised Leeds' ceiling.
Diego Llorente on the other hand has endured quite the time in West Yorkshire, succumbing to no fewer than three separate injuries, limiting him to just one start and 90 minutes of Premier League football across two appearances.
The Spaniard was earmarked for a starting role upon his £18 million arrival from La Liga side Real Sociedad, but an injury picked up on international duty kept him out of the first-team picture for the first few months of the season.
Just as it seemed Llorente was beginning to overcome his injury troubles, he was thrust into the team against Chelsea, replacing the injured Robin Koch. That game apparently came too soon for Llorente who pulled up as Chelsea scored a stoppage time goal.
Consequently, the central defender spent another month out of action before returning against Stoke City's U-23s in a reserve match last Monday. He came through the 45-minute spell unscathed, much to the delight of Leeds supporters.
Everything seemed to be going according to plan as Llorente made his long-awaited first start at St James' Park, but nine minutes into the fixture, he was withdrawn through yet another injury.
It has been woeful luck for the defender who must return to the treatment table once again to have the severity of his latest injury assessed.
However, Llorente's injury history paints a picture of a club who took a calculated risk on an injury prone centre-half.
Since the beginning of the 2018/19 season, Transfermarkt.com report that Llorente missed 23 games through injury for Real Sociedad.
The frequency with which he suffered continual muscle problems bears a resemblance to the current situation at Leeds, often missing anywhere between three and eight games at a time.
This latest injury suffered against Newcastle happens to be Llorente's eighth muscle problem since the beginning of the 2018/19 campaign, which it appears, could more than mere coincidence.
ESPN journalist David Cartlidge, who specialises in Spanish football revealed that Llorente's injury record was equally miserable in Spain.
"It was really bad there [in La Liga] too. [Llorente] regularly missed time [and] had an operation in August 2018. He was out for a few months then."
"Going further back, it was an issue at Real Madrid too."
Whether Llorente's current problems have been exacerbated by the surgery he underwent in the summer of 2018 is up for debate and hard to prove, but the frequency with which he has been sidelined has somewhat increased.
Leeds' medical team have a task on their hands yet again, ensuring that Llorente is in peak physical condition before returning to the field of play for a fourth time this season.
It is hoped that Leeds' Llorente gamble is one which pays off in the end, after a turbulent start to life at Elland Road.
