Leeds United youngster chance with Patrick Bamford missing at Blackburn and star wait continuing

A Leeds United youngster has been given a chance as Daniel Farke's Whites take on Championship hosts Blackburn Rovers at Ewood Park for which Patrick Bamford is missing.

Bamford and also Ian Poveda drop off the Whites bench for Saturday's lunchtime kick-off and their places are taken by the returning Joe Gelhardt and also 20-year-old forward Mateo Joseph who sits amongst the substitutes for just the third time this season.

Poveda is absent having received a call up to the Colombia international side whilst Bamford misses out completely, reportedly through illness. Gelhardt has not been involved in any of United's last eight matchday squads and has recently returned to training after a hand fracture.

Tottenham loanee Djed Spence, meanwhile, is once again amongst the substitutes as his wait for a return to action upon recovering from a knee injury continues as Archie Gray again starts at right back.

There was a question mark about Luke Ayling this week after the right back experienced some light knee problems and Ayling is once again missing.

Sam Byram, Crysencio Summerville and Gelhardt also experienced issues on the back of last weekend's win at home to Middlesbrough and missed training at the start of the week but all three had returned by Thursday and Summerville and Byram both start in an unchanged side.

Junior Firpo and Stuart Dallas remain out injured.

Rovers boss Jon Dahl Tomasson has named an unchanged Blackburn XI for whom the Championship's Player of the Month for November, Sam Szmodics, is captain. Arnor Sigurdsson and Niall Ennis return from injury to the bench but Lewis Travis is ill and misses out.

Blackburn Rovers: Wahlstedt, Hill, Carter, S Wharton, Pickering, Tronstad, A Wharton, Szmodics, Moran, Leonard, Brittain. Subs: Hilton, Sigurdsson, Ennis, Gamble, Markanday, Garrett, Atcheson, Telalovic, Bloxham.

Leeds United: Meslier; Gray, Rodon, Struijk, Byram; Ampadu, Kamara; Summerville, James, Piroe, Rutter. Subs: Darlow, Cooper, Spence, Shackleton, Gruev, Anthony, Gelhardt, Gnonto, Joseph.