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2 ways Leeds United could solve latest international headache

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Leeds United could struggle to feature Raphinha in the clash against Southampton next week as international commitments threaten to scupper his involvement.

The Whites might not be in action this weekend, but there is still a lot to keep track of as the international break rolls on.

Despite Kalvin Phillips pulling out of duty, there are others who are looking to make an impact for their national sides as World Cup qualification remains on the line.

Raphinha is with the Brazil squad for the first time and with that comes concerns regarding whether he will be available for Leeds’ trip to Southampton on the 16th of October.

Brazil face Uruguay in the early hours of Friday morning and while Raphinha has been cleared to play the following day for Leeds, the turnaround is likely to be too swift for him to be in the right shape to start for Marcelo Bielsa.

As Bielsa looks to contend with Raphinha’s potential stint on the bench, we take a look at two ways he might look to overcome the dilemma

James to the right wing

The most obvious choice is to move Dan James over the right wing and bring Jack Harrison in from the bench.

Harrison has had to settle for a stint on the bench recently because of illness and James’ solid form, but he’ll likely be back in this week because of Raphinha’s issue.

James is seen as a left-wing by Bielsa and for good reason, given how well he did there at Swansea City when our interest first started to grow in the wide man.

However, he made his name in the Premier League being deployed on the right by Ole Gunnar Solskjaer at Manchester United, and it shows he’s more than capable of playing on either side.

Harrison can play there too so there’s scope for either winger to play on either side, but James being right-footed makes sense when we look to get to the by-line more than cut inside.

A league start for Summerville?

The start to this season has been a huge one for Crysencio Summerville, after making his senior debut for the Whites away at Newcastle and starting in the trip to Fulham in the cup.

He’s more than earned his place in amongst the first-team setup and he’s shown in those performances that he’s capable of putting in a shift on the right-wing.

While Bielsa doesn’t hand chances out to youth players just for the sake of it, Summerville has proved to be a worthy option in Bielsa’s ranks and could be worth giving more exposure to.

It might not be as likely as the option above, but it does highlight that Leeds have fared well despite loaning out both Ian Poveda and Helder Costa.

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Leeds United season ticket holder since 2013/14, currently situated in the middle of the FA5 noise. From Pablo Hernandez to 5-1 drubbings, I've seen it all at Elland Road.