Sorba Thomas’ Huddersfield Town absence and Josh Ruffels removal explained in injury update
The Welsh international did not make the trip to the West Midlands with David Kasumu instead a surprise selection at wing-back, while Josh Ruffels had to go off late on
Terriers boss Neil Warnock has revealed that Sorba Thomas missed Saturday’s victory away to West Bromwich Albion as he was carrying a minor knock, and that Josh Ruffels was merely suffering with cramp when he was forced off late on at the Hawthorns.
David Kasumu made a surprise return to the Huddersfield Town side at the weekend, playing the full game at right wing-back after recovering from an ankle injury that had kept him out since he had to go off in July’s pre-season friendly against Heerenveen.
That leaves just Tom Lees and Ollie Turton on the treatment table for Town. Centre-back Lees missed all of pre-season with a calf issue and then suffered a back injury just before the campaign began, but he is expected to follow Kasumu back into action soon. Turton’s ACL injury means he is expected to remain sidelined until around the turn of the new year.
Warnock said: “He had a bit of a knock, Sorba, but I just felt that David’s tenacity, defensive-wise, [fit] a bit better. We didn’t want to give [West Brom] too many opportunities, because I had the lad Phillips at QPR and I think that’s probably as ineffective as I’ve seen him – because of David, really. I think David played him really well, because he’s a good player.”
He added: “I just hope we don’t get any injuries. We can’t really do with too many injuries with the size of the squad we’ve got, but Tom Lees should be back after the international break.”
The Town boss then laughed: “David Kasumu, I’m told by the medical people, will be available after the international break! I did have a word [on Friday], yesterday: ‘what about playing there for me, son?’, he said ‘I’ll give it a go, gaffer.’
“All credit to him. He didn’t want to come off, that’s the type of lad he is – and hey, some of his left foot crosses were brilliant, weren’t they?”
Stoke City loanee Tom Edwards was also omitted from Town’s 20-man squad to face West Brom, but travelled with the squad as the spare man in case of any injuries in the warm-up.