Hearts dropped in the Leeds United squad when Tyler Adams went down with the hamstring injury which could end his season, but the team has rallied around the stricken midfielder. The USA captain has been a regular in the stands at Elland Road over the past few weeks, frequently seen out on the field after full-time with his team-mates.
Adams would break down in training with the injury during the week between the Brighton & Hove Albion draw and Wolverhampton Wanderers win. Initially, Adams was pulled out of USA duty, but it soon became clear he would need surgery.
While Javi Gracia and the club are yet to put a set return date on Adams, the final match of the season arrives in less than six weeks. It would be a tall order for Adams to return to training with enough time to then get himself sharp enough to have an impact on the field.
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It’s been a superb first season in the UK for the former RB Leipzig wrecking ball and he finds himself in a positive mindset despite this setback. Compatriot, friend and team-mate Brenden Aaronson arrived in the same summer from the Red Bull stable.
The attacker remembers how hard Adams’s injury hit him at Thorp Arch. The number 12 has been a loss, but Aaronson stresses how important it has been for everyone to rally behind him off the field.
“I can remember the day easily when he got injured and I knew something wasn't right when it first happened,” he told LeedsLive. “Your heart drops because he's such a mainstay on this team and he’s massive for us.
“Mentality-wise and just on the field he's amazing. Me and him have got really close this year. We're really good friends, I guess everybody can see that, and it's tough not to have them out there, but me and Tyler and all the guys have had his back.
“We've been hanging out a lot. We've been gelling. He's in a really good mindset. He's going to be good and he'll be back even stronger, I'm sure of it.”
Adams’s absence has left Gracia’s midfield pivot open to Marc Roca and Weston McKennie as the fittest, most senior options available. Adam Forshaw’s long time on the sidelines coupled with the inexperience of Darko Gyabi, Archie Gray and Sam Greenwood have tied Gracia’s hands to some extent.
After another difficult evening for Roca and McKennie on Monday, it will be interesting to see how tempted the head coach is to change it around on Saturday at Fulham.
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