Archie Gray has extended a message of solidarity to teammate Pascal Struijk, who has been sidelined for the rest of the season.
The Dutchman underwent surgery to fix a groin condition and will not return until at least the start of the following term, according to social media reports.
Gray wished the 24-year-old luck in an Instagram message and hopes to help Leeds win promotion back to the Premier League.
“Speedy recovery, Pasc,” commented the England Under-21s star.
Pascal Struijk’s absence is a blow to Leeds’ promotion chances.
Struijk, a left-sided central defender, had been a consistent performer at the back for Leeds this season, starting all but two of the Whites’ first 24 Championship games and wore the captain’s armband numerous times.
However, he has not appeared since the 2-1 Boxing Day defeat at Preston, when he scored his third goal of the season, adding to their long list of injury problems.
Liam Cooper was initially called upon, but in Struijk’s absence, Ethan Ampadu has been forced to drop from his holding midfield role to the defense line alongside Joe Rodon, where he has also taken up the armband.
The new-look defence, which includes Gray at right-back, lost their first game without Struijk, a 1-0 loss at West Brom, but have gone unbeaten in their last 13 games, winning 12, and will hope that form can carry them all the way back to automatic promotion by the end of the season, even without their Dutch defender.
