Jack Harrison opens up on what Marcelo Bielsa has planned for Leeds United players after training return

The Whites returned to first-team training at Thorp Arch yesterday following a brief rest for the club’s senior squad amid the hectic Premier League schedule.

Marcelo Bielsa’s side will play next on February 9 at Aston Villa in the top flight, 18 days on from their last outing against Newcastle United. A short hiatus from match action will allow Leeds to get to work on the training pitch and in the treatment room.

Bielsa has suffered tremendously this season with an injury crisis that he will hope can begin to show signs of easing over the next few weeks and months.

Nine first-team options were missing in defeat against the Magpies at Elland Road last Saturday, a result which brought major disappointment in West Yorkshire against a side fighting for survival below the 15th-placed Whites.

“It was obviously a tough pill to swallow. We really wanted three points from the Newcastle game,” Harrison said.

“I don’t think we deserved to lose. I think the way we played in the first half was a good performance. We just weren’t able to get the finishing right.

“We’re not trying to get caught up on it. Everyone came back in [on Friday] after a couple of days off and was ready to work. We’re motivated and refreshed. I know we’ll be working really hard over this next week and we’ll be ready for Aston Villa.”

Leeds sit seven points clear of the relegation zone as they struggle for consistent form amid absences in the senior ranks.

Two victories against Burnley and West Ham earlier this month provided hope that Bielsa could guide his side into the safety of mid-table but the Newcastle defeat has kept the players honest. The break, Harrison says, can be seen as a positive ahead of the gruelling work ahead behind closed doors.

“We’ve had some time off which has been nice, but I think the manager is going to work us hard coming up to the Villa game,” the winger added.

“He’s already got three murderball [sessions] lined up for next week, so that should be really interesting. I think we’ll prepare really well, train really hard as normal and make sure we’re fully prepared.

“I think we believe in ourselves as a squad and as a club. We’re ambitious, we want to do well this season. We have been unfortunate at times but we’ve maintained that self belief.

“We have just tried to keep going. That’s the only thing you can do really, is keep moving forward. It’s so important for us to do that at this stage of the season.”