Pascal Struijk gets midfield nod, Kalvin Phillips' Leeds United injury came at 'special' moment and Robin Koch impresses Marcelo Bielsa

The Dutch defender, still only 21, seemed to pick up a knock when he slipped over in the lead up to Wolves’ winner at Elland Road on Monday but is evidently fit enough to start at Villa Park.

Bielsa has declared that Struijk will move into the central defensive midfield role for the first time in the Premier League, having started at centre-half against Liverpool and Wolves.

Leeds still find themselves with somewhat of a defensive headache, however.

Liam Cooper remains a doubt for Villa with a groin injury, picked up on Scotland duty, that took him out of the Wolves game during the warm-up and fellow centre-half Diego Llorente is also sidelined with a similar problem.

The timing of Phillips’ shoulder injury, sustained late in Monday’s game, could not have been worse for Leeds United, but also for the player.

England have confirmed a trio of November fixtures against the Republic of Ireland, Belgium and Iceland and fledgling international midfielder Phillips is expected to miss all three.

The club confirmed on Tuesday he could be out for up to six weeks, although Bielsa says it could be a shorter or longer spell out of action.

“An injury is always uncomfortable, always comes at an inopportune time,” he said.

“It is true, it comes at a moment that is very special for Kalvin.”

But in Struijk, Bielsa has found a player he trusts to fill in at either centre-half, or in defensive midfield.

He featured there for the very first time in training after lockdown, then took Phillips’ place for the final 30 minutes of a vital Championship game against Barnsley that all-but sealed promotion to the Premier League.

His performances in that position and his progress at Thorp Arch under Bielsa has been sufficient that the head coach will entrust him with the role against one of the Premier League’s form sides and a team with real attacking flair.

Bielsa did not confirm who will play at centre-half if Cooper is not passed fit, but whoever gets the nod will be playing alongside a player who looks nothing like a new signing.

Robin Koch has settled so quickly into life at Leeds and the English top flight that the Whites have not missed 2019/20 Young Player of the Year Ben White.

Against Wolves, in the first half particularly, he surpassed himself.

“Koch has performances of a good level in all of his games,” said Bielsa.

“In the first half against Wolves he had a performance above what he had been showing, which was already good.”