Leeds United defender Pontus Jansson withdraws from Sweden squad following knee injury

Jansson was due to fly to Sweden for European Championship qualifiers against Romania and Norway but will remain in England in an effort to be fit for Leeds’ next Championship game against Millwall.

The centre-back damaged a knee towards the end of Saturday’s derby at Elland Road, at a time when United head coach Marcelo Bielsa had no substitutions remaining.

A lack of mobility forced Bielsa to move him up front in the closing stages and in a bizarre finish, Jansson ended the game in goal after keeper Kiko Casilla incurred a red card in injury-time.

Leeds have not confirmed the severity of Jansson injury and Bielsa said at the end of the game that he was still to be told of the extent of damage.

Jansson has been replaced in Sweden’s squad by Copenhagen’s Sotirios Papagiannopoulos.

Leeds have two weeks until their next Championship fixture but Jansson has been in excellent form and a part of Bielsa’s starting line-up for most of this season.

Gaetano Berardi - a first-choice centre-back at the start of the season - is fit again after a hamstring tear and would be available to step in if Jansson fails to recover.