Leeds United star won't play again this year in huge blow to Wales and Craig Bellamy
Wales star Ethan Ampadu has been ruled out for 10 weeks with a knee injury, meaning he will miss the rest of his country's Nations League campaign.
The Leeds United skipper was forced off during the first half of his side's win over Coventry City on Saturday, with manager Daniel Farke revealing after the game that the Welshman was hopeful the injury was "not too bad". However, the Whites boss confirmed on Monday that Ampadu had suffered a "serious" injury and damaged ligaments in his knee.
While the 24-year-old is not expected to require surgery, he is set to be sidelined until the new year, with Farke hopeful that he will return to action in January.
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The injury comes not only as a huge blow to Ampadu and his Leeds United team-mates, but also to Wales, with the versatile star previously set to be named in Craig Bellamy's squad for the upcoming Nations League matches against Iceland and Montenegro on Wednesday. Ampadu will not only miss those games but also the trip to Turkey and the visit of Iceland in the return fixture in November.
It comes after he starred in the holding midfield role in Bellamy's first game in charge before following that up with another solid display against Montenegro. He has also played a vital role in Leeds' season so far, leading from the front with his side currently sitting fifth in the Championship table.
Confirming Ampadu's injury in a press conference on Monday, Farke said: “With Ethan, it’s a serious injury. Damaged his lateral ligament, doctors have recommended conservative treatment but it is always difficult to predict how long he will be out but it is likely to be about 10 weeks.
“Depending on rehab. It is expected he will be back in training in December and then some team training before he can be back in the games. We expect he will be back playing in January. It’s a big blow for us.”