Leeds United captain Ethan Ampadu has been ruled out until the new year after suffering a knee injury against Coventry City last weekend, and Craig Bellamy has reacted to the news.
Ampadu, 24, has been sidelined for 10 weeks after injuring his lateral knee ligament in the 3-0 victory over Mark Robins’ side. He was replaced after 41 minutes and did not play in the 1-1 tie with Norwich.
The Leeds captain is one of seven players now out due to injury. Ilia Gruev was added to that list on Tuesday, leaving at Carrow Road after 20 minutes and being replaced by on-loan player Joe Rothwell.
Manor Solomon, Dan James, and Isaac Schmidt have less significant injuries than Ampadu, while Max Wober’s knee required surgery this week. Diogo Monteiro has had shoulder surgery.
Seven Leeds players are out, though Daniel Farke stated he is waiting for Gruev’s scan before deciding on his availability for Friday, while Farke also claimed Schmidt might return from his glute injury.
Craig Bellamy reveals what Ethan Ampadu told him this week.
Despite only being 24, Ampadu has already earned 54 caps for Wales, which tells you everything you need to know about the dynamic midfielder. Rock solid, dependable, and really consistent.
He will be an important player for Bellamy’s Wales team, and losing Ampadu for the next two international holidays in October and November is a setback to both his country and Farke’s Leeds team.
Bellamy told Wales Online: “Ethan, I was blown away. What I like about him is that he leads. I spoke with him on Saturday, Sunday, and Monday, but when you speak to a young man who is so powerful, everything is wonderful.
“He stated it wasn’t an issue, just a setback, and he understands how much harder he needs to work to get back on track. But we won’t rely on a single player. A remarkable human being. “He’ll come back.”
Ampadu’s incredible stats for Leeds since joining from Chelsea
Since joining Leeds for a cost of £7 million, which could climb to £10 million depending on add-ons, Ampadu’s side has played 64 games in all competitions. Leeds played a total of 55 games during the 2023-24 season.
Ampadu’s Leeds spell in numbers:
| Season | Appearances | Starts | Subbed on | Subbed off | Absent/left on bench |
| 2023-24 | 54 | 54 | 0 | 2 | 1 |
| 2024-25 | 8 | 8 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
The play-offs resulted in 49 Championship games, two Carabao Cup games, and three FA Cup games due to a replay with Plymouth and a defeat to Chelsea. This season, nine more games.
Perhaps it is not surprising that Ampadu has sustained an injury. Ampadu appeared in 61 games across all competitions for both his club and nation. Maybe some rest and recovery may help Ampadu.
