Leeds United have been dealt a fresh injury blow regarding left-back Junior Firpo.

What's the latest?

Speaking on a recent episode of The Phil Hay Show, the titular journalist revealed that, after Jesse Marsch confirmed that the 26-year-old missed the 2-1 defeat to Crystal Palace on Sunday as a result of a knock, the defender's latest setback is believed to be a thigh injury.

Hay went on to state that, with Firpo having already been sidelined for two lengthy spells following his move to Elland Road in the summer of 2021, in addition to Pascal Struijk having impressed at left-back, the full-back's latest knock could well see the club make a move for a new player in the position in the not too distant future.

Regarding Firpo's injury, The Athletic journalist said: "I'm told that he's got a slight thigh problem.

"I think as it stands at the moment, it's hard to see him shifting Struijk from the team, I think Struijk has done enough to keep himself there, but it seems to me that at some point they're going to have to bite the bullet at left-back and sign somebody else.

"It doesn't need to be someone vastly experienced, it can be a project of sorts provided that you feel confident enough to play them in first-team games.

"Firpo almost falls into the category of [Patrick] Bamford at the moment, the conversation about him of how it could be when you have Firpo in the team when he has a run in the team. He's another player that hasn't played much at Leeds."

Bad news for Marsch

Considering just how little first-team football Firpo has played since his £13m move to LS11, the news that the defender has now suffered yet another injury setback, especially having only made a return to action in the 0-0 draw with Aston Villa at the start of the month, is sure to have come as bad news for Jesse Marsch.

Indeed, with Stuart Dallas also being ruled out until at least the turn of the year as a result of a fractured femur, the American manager has been left with no other option than to deploy centre-back Struijk on the left of his backline for the majority of the current Premier League campaign.

And, while the 23-year-old has impressed over his eight league appearances in the position this term - averaging a SofaScore match rating of 6.91, currently ranking him as Leeds' fifth-best performer in the top flight - it is nevertheless far from ideal for the 48-year-old coach to continue fielding Struijk out of position when he could be utilised at centre-back.

Furthermore, with Firpo reported to be earning a princely £55k-per-week at Elland Road - ranking him as the Whites' seventh-highest-paid player - it is evident that the defender's continuous injury setbacks only make the full-back appear more and more like a waste of money as each week passes.

As such, while his latest knock would not appear to be overly serious, the left-back's increasing proneness to injury is sure to come as a huge blow for Marsch, who may well already be considering a long-term replacement for the former Barcelona defender in the January transfer window.