Jesse Marsch reveals private conference with select Leeds United squad members during winless run

The Leeds head coach began with his customary injury update, providing information on Luis Sinisterra who missed Saturday’s win over Liverpool. He expects the Colombian international to be out until after the World Cup break, having sought advice from specialists on the foot injury which is set to rule him out of this weekend’s encounter with AFC Bournemouth.

“Luis has a foot injury that it turns out to be more than what we originally thought it was.

“They did another scan and then they had a specialist looked at it, and they start to worry about it being a lisfranc injury.

"It's a rare injury that controls the movement of the metatarsal and when that is ruptured, it can be a long recovery. We don't believe it's ruptured. We believe it's partially torn, which puts him in a little bit of a grey area, but probably out until after the World Cup break,” Marsch said.

On this weekend’s fixture against Gary O’Neil’s Cherries, Marsch pondered the methods Leeds can employ to earn a much-needed three points, as well as the help he enlisted from his leadership group prior to last Saturday’s win over Liverpool.

"Those guys [the leadership council] are incredibly vital to what we do here,” Marsch began.

"At one point, we sat in this room and I said, ‘Listen, right now you guys [have] got to be strong and I need you. I need you to help me in this moment. And I need you to be clear that we need to push the group and make sure that there's no little things going on behind the scenes and that we stay on top of being positive and maintaining the belief.’

"Those guys have been vital for that,” Marsch added.

The American named seven first-team players as part of his ‘leadership council’ upon assuming charge in February. Club captain Liam Cooper, Patrick Bamford, Luke Ayling, Adam Forshaw, Stuart Dallas, Rodrigo and Kalvin Phillips became Marsch’s trusted dressing room confidantes.

This season, due to injuries sustained by all six remaining squad leaders, Marsch admits it has been more difficult to draw on their experience and advice on matchdays. However, the 48-year-old’s revelation that he sought support from selected squad members during the team’s winless run indicates his leadership group remain at the forefront of his thinking.