Leeds United’s transfer crossroads reveals £30m dilemma but cannot solve existing squad issue

The USMNT captain sustained a hamstring injury at the training ground last month which subsequently required surgery to remedy the issue. While Leeds were unable to provide a timeline on the 24-year-old's recovery at the time, the assumption is that Adams will play no further role in United's season.

Adams has been seen on the pitch at Elland Road following recent fixtures, no longer aided by crutches as was the case immediately post-surgery. However, the player was given leave from his rehabilitation at Thorp Arch this month, visiting Lake Como with his partner, suggesting an imminent return is highly unlikely.

During the January transfer window, Leeds added fellow US international and midfield player Weston McKennie on loan from Serie A side Juventus. The move was regarded by some as a step in the right direction; Leeds still being able to attract international stars despite their position in the Premier League table. Meanwhile, others deemed the addition - which comes with a transfer obligation in the region of £35 million if McKennie features a set number of times and Leeds avoid relegation - as further evidence of previous head coach Jesse Marsch's influence on recruitment.

McKennie's adaptation at Leeds has been difficult, and largely out of his control. Within weeks Marsch had been jettisoned, replaced initially by caretaker Michael Skubala and then, more permanent but still interim head coach Javi Gracia. Despite upheaval in the dugout, McKennie has remained in the side throughout, featuring in every match he has been eligible for.

Increasingly since Adams' injury, McKennie has been paired with Spanish midfielder Marc Roca - nominally a distributor and technician, a player who can operate at the base of midfield but will most often require a more disruptive presence alongside him to, for want of a better phrase, do the dirty work.

Plainly, Tyler Adams is that player and Weston McKennie is not. And the alternatives in Gracia's squad leave the Spaniard little recourse but to persist with an ill-equipped midfield pairing against the backdrop of what could prove to be an even more challenging relegation battle than last season's.

At the beginning of the month, with Roca unavailable from the start against Arsenal, Gracia improvised, deploying Jack Harrison and Rasmus Kristensen in wide central midfielder roles, alongside McKennie in a three. For half an hour, it worked. But, this was indicative of a manager whose options were so severely limited that a winger and a full-back were tasked with unfamiliar duties against title hopefuls.

One week later against Crystal Palace, Leeds surrendered their one-goal advantage during a second-half collapse, the Eagles waltzing through midfield time and time again to score five, stunning Elland Road into silence.

A reaction was expected versus a Liverpool side who were yet to score away from home this season against a team stationed in the bottom half. They scored six. Leeds lacked control, were cut to pieces in transition and badly exposed in the middle of the park. Individual errors fifty and sixty yards from Illan Meslier's goal proved fatal due to a lack of cover in front of the defence, who could only retreat against a merciless Reds attack.

Leeds did appear more resolute during the first half against Fulham, keeping the Cottagers at bay for 58 minutes at least. But, there were once again signs of United's weakness in transition for the home side's second ball as Roca's wayward crossfield pass-stroke-clearance on the halfway line found Antonee Robinson, who surged forward and as the cross came was delivered, fell into the path of Andreas Pereira eight yards from goal, with the entire net to aim at.

Leeds conceding 18 goals in the month of April - so far - coinciding with injury to Tyler Adams and, until Saturday's defeat at Fulham, Max Wober, is unlikely to be a fluke. The defensive cover offered by Adams is considerable. Despite sitting out the last six games through injury, Adams still ranks joint-second in the Premier League for tackles made this season, according to Opta data, with 89. Only six players across the entire league have made more blocks than the USMNT captain, meanwhile Robin Koch is the only Leeds player to have made more interceptions.

This season, according to Opta data provided by Chris Taylor of @LUFCDATA, Tyler Adams has averaged 10.8 ball recoveries per 90 minutes played. At Craven Cottage, Roca and McKennie made seven recoveries between them - six of which by Roca alone. Conversely, Fulham's Joao Palhinha made nine.

It would be fair to ask: shouldn't a midfielder with in excess of 40 international caps and one with Bundesliga, LaLiga and Premier League experience collectively be able to mitigate for a player like Adams' absence? Yes, but that would discount the usefulness a player such as Adams brings to a team that do not prioritise possession. And, it goes without saying, central midfielders come in many forms. McKennie is more of a box-to-box influence, a ball-carrier who on occasion can find a killer pass. His qualities, attributes and experience do not align with Adams', which for his entire career has been to disrupt, interfere and upset the rhythm of opponents' play.

Aside from McKennie and Roca, Gracia's hands are somewhat tied. Adam Forshaw's own injury history makes him a risk when playing several games in quick succession, as Leeds' current schedule dictates, and his 180 minutes across seven Premier League appearances this season hardly suggests he's prepared to play an integral role during the run-in. Darko Gyabi has been a step above many of his peers and age-mates at Under-21 level this season, but to suggest the teenager is capable of stepping into a stricken midfield and improve upon what's already on show, is nothing more than wishful thinking. Besides, the England Under-19 captain is a closer match to McKennie's style of play, rather than Adams anyway.

So, does the inability to replace Adams' influence come down to lack of preparedness or bad squad planning? In fairness to the club hierarchy, Adams' injury history had been fairly unproblematic when he was signed last summer, never out for more than a couple of games at a time and quickly back into the fold.

However, the strain Adams' body will have come under after a truncated beginning to the season, exacerbated by his leading role for the United States at the World Cup, followed by the lack of a winter break as was standard in Germany, suggests that while the current scenario was anything but obvious, it could have been foreseen. Therefore, given the type of midfielder McKennie appears to be, it raises the question he was perhaps not the wisest choice, particularly if the club were able to commit £30 million on project player Georginio Rutter and a further £30-plus million further down the line on McKennie.