After being forced off the pitch through injury during their 2-2 draw against Brentford, Leeds United have been sweating over the fitness of midfield maestro Kalvin Phillips.

With the England international also missing Leeds' recent 3-2 defeat against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge, there has finally been some clarity about Phillips' injury.

What's the latest?

According to a recent report from The Athletic, Phillips has undergone surgery to repair the hamstring injury he suffered and is now expected to be out for at least two months, which is news that will surely have a lot of Leeds fans fuming.

With Marcelo Bielsa's men having the tough task of taking on Manchester City at The Etihad Stadium later tonight in their latest Premier League match, it seems that they will have to take on the reigning league champions without Phillips.

Last season, Leeds lost seven of the nine league games that the England international wasn't involved in and haven’t managed to win any of the league games that he’s not played in this term, highlighting just how important he is for the team and how much of a major blow it will be to have him out of action for two months.

This season, the 26-year-old has managed to rack up an average of 2.3 tackles per game and 1.2 interceptions per game in the league, which is a clue as to why the Yorkshire side don't win many games when he's not playing given how much of a useful defensive player he is from midfield.

This, therefore, doesn't make Leeds' chances of picking up too many points in the next two months look very high, especially with the Whites also having the likes of Liam Cooper, Patrick Bamford, Rodrigo, Robin Koch and Pascal Struijk out injured as well.

Their period without Phillips could get off to a bad start tonight when they take on Pep Guardiola's side who have scored a total of 33 goals and conceded just nine so far this season in the league.

However, with Leeds managing to secure a win at The Etihad last season thanks to a brace of goals from Stuart Dallas, they should be heading into this game with the confidence and belief that they can cause another upset and come away with three points again.

Although, their injuries will undoubtedly make it much more difficult for Leeds.

Now, everyone at the Yorkshire club will have their fingers crossed that Phillips will be able to make a full recovery as soon as possible and end the season fit and firing with Leeds and away from a potential relegation scrap.

At the moment, though, it's nothing short of a huge blow to see him ruled out for so long.

In other news: Exciting 4-word January transfer claim emerges that will have Leeds fans buzzing - opinion