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Why Joe Rodon will fear for his Leeds United future
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- Why Joe Rodon will fear for his Leeds United future
Daniel Farke and his Leeds United team have done incredibly well to deal with the injury to Joe Rodon this season.
The 29-year-old only made two Premier League appearances before being sidelined, having not been seen since the end of August against Brentford.
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In the previous two campaigns, the Welshman started 33 of Leeds' 38 league games, and all 46 games in the Championship in 2024-25.
He has become a regular in the side since his move to Elland Road was made permanent in the summer of 2024, making his injury a massive blow.
However, some fans may have even forgotten that he's been sidelined over the past couple of months, with the Whites continuing to move forward.
And that is all thanks to the adaptability shown by Farke, with the most recent back three of Tarik Muharemovic, Jaka Bijol and James Justin.
Joe Rodon's regular minutes are behind him
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Nico Elvedi, who signed from Borussia Monchengladbach in the summer, has also played a key role in defence, with five Premier League starts to his name so far.
Against Sunderland on Sunday, 25 October, Leeds conceded just one big chance, with the three defenders accounting for 22 of the game's clearances [ FotMob ].
They also combined for four tackles, eight recoveries, and challenging in a total of 23 duels. Farke has created a monster of a back-three.
And given that this defence didn't even include Elvedi, Rodon should have every fear that going straight back into the lineup won't be as simple as that.
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He has been an incredible servant over the last few seasons, but the club might be moving upwards and leaving him behind on the treatment table.
Sources: Leeds hit by new hurdle in Nicolo Tresoldi race Sources: Leeds United's stance on Jaka Bijol's future revealed When could Rodon return to the Leeds XI?
When Rodon initially sustained his injury, Farke gave the timeline of eight to 10 weeks for a return to action, but that has already passed.
As recently as mid-October, the manager revealed that the defender was progressing well, but that he was not quite ready for the pitch.
Rodon may only need a few more days to recover fully, but there's no way he'll be up to the right match fitness, and gaining that will be easier said than done.
Right now, he'll struggle to get into the side over the current defenders, and that could leave him on the bench for much of the 2026-27 campaign.
