Injury-hit Leeds United agree to Cardiff City loan move for highly rated defender Cody Drameh

The 20-year-old is travelling to Wales tonight and is expected to complete the move tomorrow.

Drameh played for injury-hit Leeds on Sunday in their FA Cup defeat at West Ham United, replacing Junior Firpo who went off after a bang to the head.

A potential concussion for the left-back gives Marcelo Bielsa a list of 12 players who could be missing for this weekend's Premier League game against West Ham, but he does currently have two senior right-backs fit and available in Luke Ayling and Stuart Dallas. Ayling, though, is required to fill in at centre-half on occasion and Dallas has been asked to occupy a midfield role on a regular basis. The versatile Jamie Shackleton is currently struggling with an Achilles problem but Leeds are looking to bring in at least one central midfielder during the January window, which could free Dallas up to cover the right-back position.

Drameh has appeared in three Premier League games this season and featured in the EFL Cup, but struggled for senior game time in his first campaign at Leeds. He shone for Mark Jackson's Under 23s having signed from Fulham, yet made the bench just once in the club's first season back in the Premier League. The youngster showcased a remarkable knack for stopping wingers and demonstrated an improved ability to get forward and create as the season went on.

A significant number of clubs were keen on the England Under 21 international in the summer, but Leeds preferred to keep him close to the first team. Now, however, their stance has shifted and although they still see a future for him at Elland Road, they're willing to let him get game time in the Championship for the remainder of this season.

Bielsa is expected to issue an update on his injury crisis on Friday. The hope is that Patrick Bamford will be fit again after experiencing tightness late last week in training and missing the West Ham cup tie. All of Bielsa's other forward options, Joe Gelhardt [ankle], Tyler Roberts [calf], Rodrigo [heel] and Sam Greenwood [undisclosed] are struggling for fitness.

Defensively he will be missing Liam Cooper [hamstring], Shackleton [Achilles], Kalvin Phillips [hamstring], Diego Llorente [suspension], Charlie Cresswell [shoulder] and might still find himself without Pascal Struijk [foot] and Firpo.