Georginio Rutter will undergo minor surgery on a hernia injury, Leeds United has confirmed.
The 21-year-old forward has subsequently been withdrawn from France’s Under-21 squad ahead of their upcoming fixtures against Ivory Coast on March 22 and the United States on March 25.
Leeds said in a statement that “surgery allows a return to play in approximately 10 days”, meaning that if all goes according to plan, he could be in contention to feature against either Watford on March 29 or Hull City on April 1.
The statement added: “The forward has been suffering with a hernia problem for a number of weeks, which has been carefully managed, and the club will now use the international break to address the issue fully.”
Leeds signed Rutter from German club Hoffenheim in January 2023, and he has since become an important member of Daniel Farke’s squad.
He has been a key player this season in Leeds’ Championship promotion efforts, having scored seven and assisted 18 times in 40 appearances across all competitions.
Rutter has been capped on four occasions for France’s Under-21s.
Leeds are top of the Championship table on goal difference, level on points with Leicester City who have a game in hand.
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Georginio Rutter: A yard ahead in body and mind in a league not built to handle him
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