Rob Price issues Leeds United injuries update on septet and explains long Stuart Dallas process

Leeds began the new Premier League season with seven first team players injured but Whites boss Jesse Marsch now has captain Liam Cooper, new winger signing Luis Sinisterra and midfielder Adam Forshaw back available for Saturday’s clash at Southampton.

Sinisterra suffered a hamstring injury in last month’s pre-season friendly against Crystal Palace in Australia in which Forshaw also tweaked his knee but United’s head of medicine and performance Price has provided a particularly positive update on the pair’s recoveries.

Whites captain Cooper is also back in training having damaged his Achilles on a treadmill this summer but Marsch remains minus the services of defender Luke Ayling, left back Junior Firpo and longer term absentee Stuart Dallas.

Ayling is recovering from knee surgery to correct a long standing issue whilst Firpo damaged the tendon that attaches the pelvis in United’s first pre-season friendly against Blackpool this summer.

The duo are continuing their recoveries and Price was also keen to spell out an important message about Dallas as he looks to work his way back from a femoral fracture.

As part of an update surrounding eight players, Price also provided the latest update with young keeper Dani van den Huevel who was recently involved in a car accident.

In an extensive Friday night injuries update, Price said: “I think there’s a challenge whenever a player gets injured, whether it be in pre-season or in the season, we want to make sure when they come back to the group, they are actually able to maintain and sustain the levels that we know they need to perform.

“Our rehab staff and physios make sure that when the players go back in, they are already at that level, so our players work really hard from early on in an injury, just so we maintain as much of the level as we can.

“For example, looking at Luis Sinisterra who got injured in Australia, everyone will think he has been out for three weeks, but actually he missed four days before he was able to stuff that was out on the pitches and he was able to work at a level that was maintaining his aerobic base, before making it more intense, so we didn’t lose a massive amount which is really important.

“We were disappointed that we lost Luis and Adam Forshaw to injury in Australia, but both were contact injuries.

"Luis got hit from behind and in trying to respond to that he got a small hamstring injury, whilst Adam got fouled from behind, the legs got tangled and he did some damage to the medial ligament of his knee.

"Both have rehabbed really well though and have been back in training this week and look good.

“Unfortunately for Liam Cooper, he did some work over the summer and was doing some treadmill running the day before he was due back.

"Again, the player’s now come back in really good condition, they work hard over the summer, but he really irritated his achilles tendon just before he came back, which has taken a little bit of time to settle down.

"But, again, he’s been working hard and is back in training with the team this week and has looked really good.

“For Stuart Dallas, we have to put into perspective really where he is at.

"He suffered a significant injury in the Manchester City game and we have broken his rehab down into three specific stages.

"The first one was allowing it to heal, so there was protection and you will have seen him on crutches and in a brace and we’ve just finished that first stage.

“We have actually just finished that first stage and now we are looking at trying to get some strength, range of motion and getting the joint to settle and being able to tolerate the load it needs.

"We will then go into a third stage which is when we will look at function.

"If you think the injury was at the end of April and we are now in August and we have just finished the first stage, we still have two big stages to go.

"Whilst we are not putting a timescale on it, I think that shows we are still very much at the beginning of his injury and his evolution of him getting back.

"It was great to see him outside this week, it was lovely and the big thing is not just the smile on Stuart’s face, but also the smiles on the faces of the other players, he is such a big part of the infrastructure and the team and such a big influence on them, that everyone was pleased to see him outside.

"But I’m saying that with the understanding that we are still in the really early stages with him.

“Every rehab is about reaching milestones.

"The media and everyone else want a timescale and injuries don’t work on timescales, they work on when you can reach certain objective markers and certain milestones.

"One of the early milestones for Stuart was, could he walk without his crutches? And he can.

"Now we did a little jog yesterday, not at any great speed, but it is another milestone ticked off.

"The next one is can we get more range of movement in his knee? Can we get that squad strength back etc? But we are ticking them off one by one.

“With Luke Ayling, I don’t think many people knew he actually injured his knee in the Newcastle game in September last year.

"He played with it all season, it was niggly and causing his problems and we planned to do something at the end of the season.

"Luke’s season actually finished a couple of weeks earlier than planned due to his sending off at Arsenal, so we got the surgery done then to tidy up and make sure everything in the knee would allow him to continue through this season.

"He’s doing really well and is out on the pitches. He’s well on in his rehab schedule and we’re probably looking at another few weeks before he will be back with the team and available for selection.

“Junior Firpo has had lots of different things, it’s not been one area, so you can’t say he’s got a particular weakness. Quite a few have been contact and he’s done ligaments in his knee and everything.

"This injury he actually did in the first half of the Blackpool friendly and he played on for another 20-25 minutes.

"He came in and mentioned at half time that his quad was a little bit stiff and sore and he’d actually damaged the tendon, where it attaches to the pelvis, which takes a bit longer to heal.

"He’s doing really well and progressing nicely, but again, it’s one where you have to tick off the milestones.

“Finally, poor Dani van den Huevel was involved in a car accident when he was away with the national team.

"He suffered some serious injuries, he fractured a couple of bones in his neck and fractured his jaw, so he had surgery in the Netherlands in the summer.

"He’s come back over and is starting to work and he can run and do bits and pieces, but we still have to wait for those fractures to heal and it is going to be quite a few months before he is back involved.”