Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Leeds Live
Leeds Live
Sport
Oliver Jones

Leeds United loanee Tyler Roberts opens up on 'really tough' injury woes and World Cup miss

Leeds United loanee Tyler Roberts has spoken out how hard it was to 'move on' from the disappointment of missing last year's World Cup with Wales after suffering from a calf injury.

The 24-year-old has made 20 senior appearances for his country in the past but missed out on their return back to football's biggest stage, with it being their first World Cup since 1958.

After failing to make an impact at Elland Road over the past few seasons, he was sent on loan to Queens Park Rangers where he's also struggled for game time due to issues with his legs.

READ MORE: Why Jesse Marsch has made a U-turn on his Leeds United transfer talk

"I had a little ongoing injury in my calf, and tried to give it as long as possible before it started getting to the stage of, 'I want to be playing again'," Roberts told BBC Sport.

"I felt like I was ready to play so I had a talk with the manager, which was Michael Beard at the time, and we decided it'd be ok. It was going fine and then the injury happened again.

"And then from then on, I had the feeling that it'd be off for me [the World Cup] which was really hard at the time because of the shock of it all. But me and Rob Page had a chat just a couple of weeks before the tournament and he said he thinks it's just too tight.

"They spoke to the physios and they decided I wasn't going to be ready in time which was hard to take. It was really tough for me and it's been difficult to move on from, but the best thing is that I've come back and gotten back into the [QPR] team."

However, despite the hardships over the past few months, things look to be on the up for Roberts. He scored both goals in a 2-2 comeback draw for QPR against Reading last week and believes that despite Gareth Bale's retirement from football, Welsh football is still on the rise.

"I think there's a good mix in there, there's some experienced players still there and a lot of younger ones coming through so it's in good hands I'd say.

"We've got a lot of exciting talent so for the next few years hopefully we can step up and continue qualifying for tournaments and competing at the highest level."

READ NEXT:

Rodrigo on PlayStation, Meslier family link, French dressing room welcome: Meeting Georginio Rutter

Ex-Chelsea coach makes Illan Meslier transfer admission as Leeds United man tipped for France role

Georginio Rutter opens up on Leeds United pricetag as he outlines immediate Elland Road goal

Chris Armas profied as ex-Man United coach linked with vacant Leeds United role

Leeds United line-ups vs Brentford as Rutter debuts and Struijk is left out again

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.