Interim Watford manager Tom Cleverley hopes to have both Ryan Andrews and Jamal Lewis available for the visit of Leeds United next week after the pair withdrew from international duty.
Right-back Andrews was forced to pull out of the England Men’s Elite League Squad – formerly the under-20s – after suffering a dead leg. Lewis, meanwhile, has been ruled out of Northern Ireland’s first game against Romania on Friday, having missed last weekend’s 1-0 win over Birmingham City with a foot injury.
Daniel Farke’s Leeds team is on a 13-game league unbeaten streak that has included 12 wins, and they will be visiting Vicarage Road on Friday. However, Cleverley has only managed one victory in his role as acting manager. He intends to turn that around by getting important players back and available.
“Jamal is hoping he would be well for the second game early next week, but his foot issue is holding him out of the first of Northern Ireland’s two games. We hope that both of them will be able to contribute against Leeds, so let’s watch how they do the next week.
Leeds, who defeated Millwall 2-0 on Sunday, will lead the Championship going into the international break, albeit they may start third at Vicarage Road. On Good Friday, Leicester City takes on Bristol at midday, and Ipswich Town plays Blackburn at 5.30 p.m. The winner of either match will dethrone the Whites from the top spot.
Pascal Struijk will not travel with Daniel Farke to London, and Leeds is also concerned about Georginio Rutter’s availability after he had surgery earlier this week for a minor hernia issue. The team emphasised that Rutter’s absence would only be temporary, and after the procedure, he shared a happy message on social media.
Leave a Reply