Leeds United discover extent of injury crisis as new data shows no Premier League club suffered more

Leeds United's injury woes were well-documented during the 2021/22 campaign with Kalvin Phillips, Liam Cooper, Robin Koch and Patrick Bamford all spending lengthy periods on the sidelines.

Injuries expert Ben Dinnery has calculated the severity of Leeds' injury troubles throughout 2021/22, discovering that the Whites lost more days than any other Premier League side to injury.

Coupled with Leeds' thin squad, the impact on the Whites' fortunes was evident given they relied on a final day of the season victory over Brentford to retain their Premier League status.

German international Koch became the side's first casualty of the season, missing several months with a pelvic problem initially described as minor.

Shortly thereafter, Luke Ayling and Patrick Bamford sustained injuries at Newcastle United, which would signal the beginning of an injury-plagued season for the England striker.

Ayling would play through pain to see out the campaign, but has now required surgery on a knee problem which could keep him out for between two and four months.

Kalvin Phillips and Liam Cooper sustained hamstring injuries in the 2-2 draw with Brentford during early December, whilst Bamford's return from an ankle injury in that game saw him injure his hamstring during last-minute goal celebrations.

In all, Leeds players had lost over 1,000 days to injury by the halfway stage of the season.

That figure would continue to rise during the second half of the campaign, but not at the same rate, with 1,542 days eventually lost to knocks, strains, tears and breaks.

Adam Forshaw's fractured knee-cap and Stuart Dallas' broken femur suffered towards the end of the season remarkably took Leeds over the 1,500 days figure for 2021/22 - more than any other side.

Everton, Watford and Norwich City also lost in excess of 1,200 days to injury this season and coincidentally all finished in the Premier League's bottom five.

Leeds will aim to avoid such a record next season, and are likely to do so given the improbable nature and scale of misfortune suffered within the Whites' squad.