Leeds United defender Aapo Halme opens up over injury problems

Leeds added the highly rated Finnish defender to their ranks in January from HJK Helsinki with the 6ft 4in centre-back signing a four-year contract in West Yorkshire.

The 20-year-old is yet to feature in any capacity for United after picking up a foot injury that has kept him sidelined for nearly 10 months. Halme is now hoping to make his comeback on Monday for the under-23 side as they welcome Queens Park Rangers to Nethermoor Park for their Professional Development League fixture.

After returning to training two weeks ago following a gruelling period of gym work following surgery in London on his foot, Halme told Finnish website Iltaleht: "I've had to overcome the injury and [I've been] able to train a couple of weeks fully now.

"I hope next week I will play the game [against QPR], hopefully. It seems good to be back on the pitch and kick a ball and be with the team especially. I've been outside [the team] because I haven't been involved in games or training.

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"All summer I rehabilitated in England mostly. It's not a terrible summer vacation!."

The former Finland under-19 international has spent the last few months working to regain his fitness using the Alter-G machine amid a lot of gym work at Thorp Arch preparing for his return.

Halme though admitted that mentally it had been one of the toughest periods of his young career: "It's all in the mind: can I still play? And when I come back: how will it feel again?. I predict that I am mentally much stronger than before but it's been a difficult time for me."