Leeds United head coach Marcelo Bielsa has thanked the club's academy for the work they have put in helping him solve the problem of losing players to injury.
A number of first-teamers, including the likes of Luke Ayling, Gaetano Berardi, Liam Cooper, Stuart Dallas and Tom Pearce, are all out due to injuries, while Izzy Brown and Patrick Bamford have just been cleared to return after long absences.
Taking their place has been a number of academy graduates – all of whom have managed to please the manager, who now insists that in spite of it feeling like God is punishing him, he has found solutions by looking into his club's youth ranks.
“I am sure I have done something wrong because God is punishing me”, Bielsa said at a press conference on Thursday.
“When Luke Ayling , got injured, Stuart Dallas played and now Jamie Shackleton will play.
“Thanks to the work the academy have done for the first team, we have solved the absences in one way or another.
“Of course we are aware of the type of player we are losing and the solutions we are finding allow us to stay optimistic.
“The youngsters that are amongst the first team have contributed a lot to the resolution of our needs.
“I am happy for the young players and the academy as it is an important part of the club."
Bielsa's side are second in the Championship standings and next in action this weekend against Steve McClaren's QPR side.
