Optimistic Marcelo Bielsa runs through Leeds United options with quintet out and fires January transfers warning

Up front, the club’s main striker, Patrick Bamford, is injured, as is Rodrigo, the record-signing option in attack.

In midfield, United’s England international star Kalvin Phillips is also out, as is captain Liam Cooper from the heart of the defence.

United’s injury problems are right the way through the middle, and all this as the Whites prepare to take on four of the division’s top seven in their next four games including the Premier League’s top three.

Yet Bielsa is optimistic faced with a fresh injury puzzle, highlighting his remaining options and issuing a reminder that absentees are nothing new for his Whites.

With Robin Koch having been ill, Bielsa is without five players ahead of Saturday’s trip to a Chelsea outfit which is expected to be involved in an three-way battle for the title along with defending champions Manchester City and Liverpool.

Leeds will face all three of them in the next 16 days in as tough a run of games as the Premier League could offer - Chelsea away, City away and Liverpool away sandwiching Arsenal at home just for good measure.

Yet Bielsa is remaining in positive mood and, whilst the calibre of those players that are injured cannot be doubted, the Whites boss hopes this is now the time for the likes of Joe Gelhardt, Tyler Roberts, Mateusz Klich, Adam Forshaw, Koch, Pascal Struijk and Charlie Cresswell to particularly shine.

In any case, says Bielsa, all sides suffer from injuries - and the January transfer window is not necessarily the answer.

“The average of players that we have had out has always been four,” said Bielsa.

“In some short periods, we have had five or six. In this moment, the absentees in attack would be Bamford and Rodrigo, and for the trio defensively, it’s Cooper and Phillips.

“I think we’re going to recover Koch, and Gelhardt has given options in that position, and Pascal also. Cresswell, when he’s had to play, has also given positive responses.

"Tyler is evolving in the centre of the attack. Also, Klich is an option as a defensive midfielder.

“Forshaw has played as a defensive mid’ before, and he’s done it well.

"Of course, we didn’t expect to recover from four injuries to have four new ones.

“But I’m always optimistic, and I always work so that difficulties harm us as least as possible, and this case is the same.”

Asked if the injuries had changed the club’s stance on whether players will be signed in January, Bielsa reasoned: “Any player in the club is in a condition to bring in that is better than the players we have at our disposal will be a possibility that is welcome.

"But we all know the difficulties of the winter transfer market.

“So it’s difficult to find players who are competing who don’t have a place in the team that they are in.

“Normally, those who are competing have a space within their team and, whether it’s an economically viable option, for those three conditions to be met, it is not simple.”

In the Premier League, very little ever is and United’s first instalment of a hugely challenging run of games starts with taking on Thomas Tuchel’s Champions League holders in their own back yard.

Yet Chelsea have conceded six goals in their last two games, Saturday’s 3-2 league defeat at West Ham followed by Wednesday’s 3-3 draw at Zenit St Petersburg, a contest Tuchel made eight changes for.

Tuchel bemoaned both his side’s defending and recent inability to hold onto a lead after the contest but Bielsa said: “The performance was from a mixed squad that doesn’t represent their true strength.

“The defeat against West Ham - you have to watch and analyse it to see if the result aligned with what was deserved, how the game went. I didn’t see a lowering in the way they play.

“But you transmit to me what the Chelsea manager thinks and, if what you say is true, then I’m not anyone to say anything to the contrary, nor do I feel that it’s right to interpret his feelings as he is the one that looks at his own team.

"I only offer points of view from one more spectator.

“Wednesday’s team was not their habitual team. The result against West Ham, I’m not sure if it’s what Chelsea really deserved.

"With respect to the game on Wednesday, all you have to do is look at the eleven and then, with regards to the game against West Ham, there isn’t sufficient data to say whether what he has said is right or not.”

What’s not in doubt is that Bielsa’s side are now approaching tests against the three best teams in the division - and firstly one that can choose between either Romelu Lukaku, Timo Werner or Kai Havertz up front.

But Bielsa says his side’s approach will not alter depending on who plays as the Blues’ No 9 and, even with an injury-hit squad, is relishing the upcoming tests.

Asked about facing Lukaku, Havertz or Werner, Bielsa reasoned: “They’re all similar. They’re all centre-forwards with different characteristics.

"But we’re not going to plan the game differently depending on who’s playing.

“Each of the games that we’re going to face, they’re all games where points are at stake, whether that be drawing or winning.

“We prepare ourselves with a lot of hope. The hopes and the desires are increased because they are very big opponents.

"And to be able to get points in those games has an added value. And we’re going to go to each of those games with that desire.”

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Thank you Laura Collins