Rotherham v Leeds United: Whites must bounce straight back at strugglers says Whelan

The Whites approach the fixture following their first defeat in six games after leaders Newcastle United bagged a 2-0 victory at a sell-out Elland Road.

But a decent weekend of results for Leeds means they are only one point off the play-offs in seventh.

Rotherham have lost nine of their last 10 league games and are eight points adrift at the foot of the division.

“I think it’s must-win,” said Whelan. “I think we need a reaction, I think Garry will expect a reaction and so will the players because they are in a great position in the league.

“We have got to put the Newcastle game to bed now and focus fully on Rotherham and on bouncing straight back.

“That’s the only way you get out of this league – by bouncing back quickly and recovering from these sorts of defeats. We can definitely do it against Rotherham.”

Leeds are around even money favourites to win but Whelan declared: “There’s no easy games in this league. You have got to go in there with the right mentality, the right attitude and you’ve got to work hard and put your plan into action and execute everything well on the day.”