With Kalvin Phillips already out injured, the last thing Leeds United boss Marcelo Bielsa needed was for any more of his key midfielders to pick up injuries.

But that was exactly the case both in the build-up and during the Premier League clash against Southampton on Tuesday night. Jamie Shackleton was ruled out before the game due to an adductor problem, while Mateusz Klich was forced off midway through the second half.

Speaking after the 3-0 victory over the Saints, Bielsa delivered an update on the duo, saying: "After the game against Wolverhampton, Shackleton presented himself with some problems in his abductor that did not allow him to play today. We don’t have information on Klich just yet".

If both are ruled out for the foreseeable future, and with Phillips seemingly still not over a calf problem that looked touch and go before the defeat to Arsenal, Bielsa is left short for options in central midfield.

And that is exactly why 18-year-old Nohan Kenneh could well be the starlet to emerge on the scene for Bielsa's side, and it's safe to say he's already modelling himself on some top players.

He said: "Currently I look up to Kalvin Phillips as (we) both play in a similar position, but I occasionally watch videos of Patrick Vieira for his qualities in midfield."

Phil Hay described him as "supremely gifted" for The Athletic, and he's capable of playing in holding midfield as well as further back in central defence. At a towering 6 foot 2, Kenneh's certainly got the physical attributes to develop into a Premier League-ready player.

Describing himself as someone who is "aggressive and hard-working who likes to break down play", but also liking "getting forward and scoring long-range goals", Kenneh seems like he'd tailor-made for Bielsa as either a holding midfielder or someone who can get up and down the pitch in a box-to-box role.

Given the injury problems that Bielsa currently has on his hands, giving the 18-year-old Kenneh might well turn out to be the answer. It may be down to be a rather unfortunate set of circumstances, but the Leeds boss must unleash Leeds' teenage powerhouse.