Marsch on injuries, Phillips' role & youngster Gray
- Published
Adam Pope, BBC Radio Leeds
Leeds United head coach Jesse Marsch has been speaking to the media before Friday's Premier League game against Wolves.
Here are the key lines from his news conference:
Marsch says midfielder Kalvin Phillips and captain Liam Cooper could be involved against Wolves at Molineux on Friday after recovering from hamstring surgery.
Patrick Bamford is sore but should be ready and Rodrigo (quad) will train today before being assessed.
Junior Firpo (medial ligament) will be out for three to five weeks, while Leo Hjelde (knee) and Tyler Roberts (hamstring) are recovering well from their injuries.
Jamie Shackleton and Lewis Bate picked up slight knocks in the under-23s win over Manchester United in midweek.
Marsch has spoken to Phillips about how he will be used in a changed formation. Phillips thinks Marsch's system is similar to the England set-up with a double-six formation and that he should be able to apply what he does with Declan Rice to the system at Leeds.
Marsch was asked about Archie Gray (son of ex-Leeds striker Andy, grandson of Frankie and grand nephew of Eddie) after the 16-year-old midfielder scored a great goal for the under-23s in midweek: “I know there’s a massive anticipation for him to be a big talented player. He has an incredible bloodline and he’s a big talent. We have to support and believe in him but also be patient with him.”
Marsch has not spent any time talking to players about their long-term future but he would "love to keep Kalvin, Pat and Raphinha" at the club as long as possible and those conversations will take place.