Leeds United boss Marcelo Bielsa sends message of support to Blackburn Rovers loanee Ian Poveda as winger successfully undergoes leg surgery

Poveda was just finding his feet at loan club Blackburn when a bad collision meant he had to be stretchered off the pitch during a Championship clash with Bristol City last weekend.

Following an assist on his Rovers debut, the underperforming Poveda found himself far from Tony Mowbray’s thoughts for some weeks before an emphatic return to form against Sheffield United earlier this month, when the 21-year-old scored one and assisted one to help his side to a 3-1 victory.

But it was short-lived relief for the young player as, after his departure from the field at Ashton Gate the following week, scans found a fracture and ligament damage in his left ankle, putting the rest of his season in doubt as the injury demands a lengthy recovery period.

With good cheer, Poveda updated his Instagram followers on Thursday night, sharing a picture of his bandaged leg in a hospital bed with the caption, “Operation was successful, Gracias a Dios.”

It is a huge blow to the 21-year-old, who will miss out on much of the development for which he headed to Ewood Park in the summer after seeing limited first team action at Elland Road last season.

In his pre-match press conference on Thursday, Whites boss Bielsa addressed Poveda’s disappointment and issued a message of encouragement to the youngster.

“We have established a contact with him, all of the technical staff, to know about our sadness and how we will be close to him after what has happened to him,” Bielsa said.

“Either way, he is a young man with a lot of character and that is going to allow him to recover and to come back stronger than before.”

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