'My body told me to stop' - Georginio Rutter sends Leeds United supporters message as injury confirmed

Georginio Rutter has sent a message to Leeds United supporters following the news he will need to go under the knife this month. The Frenchman has been instrumental for the Whites this season, starting all but two Championship games under Daniel Farke, with his creativity on the ball yielding six league goals and 17 assists.

Two of those assists came on Sunday as he laid on goals for both Wilfried Gnonto and Dan James to help the Whites to a 2-0 win over Millwall at Elland Road. He played 90 minutes against the Lions, too, before being replaced by Joel Piroe in stoppage time, with the points already in the bag.

However, the news emerged on Monday morning that Rutter had been forced to pull out of Thierry Henry's France U23s squad and it was later confirmed that the 21-year-old will need to undergo minor surgery on a hernia issue over the international break.

In a statement released on their official website, Leeds revealed the forward has been playing through pain over a number of weeks due to the issue. The club also moved to allay fears of a long-term lay-off, insisting that all being well, Rutter could be in a position to return to action within just 10 days, which would make him available for the Easter outings against Watford and Hull City.

Rutter, though, has felt the need to come out publicly and explain to fans why the surgery needs to happen and outline his belief that he will be back in the fold before too long.

"Hi everyone, important victory yesterday, thank you for the support," Rutter said in a post on the club's official social media channels. "I wanted to tell you that after a painful few weeks, I tried to give everything until the end for the team, but my body told me to stop. I hope to help the team as quickly as possible. See you soon."

Rutter has made 40 appearances under Daniel Farke this season, amassing a total of 3,343 minutes on the field of play. However, Leeds will hope the surgery can help the Frenchman to continue firing on all cylinders during the run-in as they prepare for one final promotion push.