Injured Leeds United striker Caleb Ekuban due to return in a fortnight

The striker is a fortnight away from resuming training having been absent with an injury which has limited him to seven appearances this season.

Ekuban was sent for surgery after breaking a bone in his foot during a 2-0 win at Sunderland on August 19 and had been fit for less than a month when he damaged the same foot in a 3-1 victory over Queens Park Rangers on December 9.

His second injury was less serious than the first and Ekuban avoided another bout of surgery but head coach Thomas Christiansen has barely had use of a striker who cost £500,000 from Chievo in July.

Christiansen said: “In 10 to 14 days he will be back.

“He was playing well until he got injured and I believe I can expect the same from him.”

Ekuban has scored just once for Leeds, in a League Cup win over Port Vale in the second week of the season, but he had forced his way into Christiansen’s starting line-up before his latest set-back at QPR.

He was joined on the sidelines earlier this month by right-back Luke Ayling who is out for the rest of the season after undergoing surgery on a damaged ankle cartilage.

Christiansen’s selection issues have been deepened by the spate of bans which will see four players miss tonight’s game at Hull.

Captain Liam Cooper begins a four-match suspension this evening following his red card against Millwall while midfielder Kalvin Phillips starts a two-match ban having accumulated 10 yellow cards.

Eunan O’Kane is one game into a three-match suspension and Samuel Saiz has four matches of a six-game ban left to serve after being dismissed for spitting in Leeds’ FA Cup defeat to Newport County.