Harry Wilson is a major doubt for Wales’s Nations League return after Leeds United manager Daniel Farke said the forward has a quad injury and will miss Sunday’s home game against Crystal Palace. Farke also said Wilson will probably miss Wales’s matches, which is a nasty double hit for Leeds and Wales.

Leeds lose him for Crystal Palace

Farke’s update came after Wilson reported problems after the last game and again during training this week. He told bbc.co.uk: "Harry Wilson is out of this game, a quad injury, he reported some problems after the last game and also during this training week," and added: "He will also probably miss the Welsh games, so definitely not good news for him and also not for the Welsh team."

The immediate issue is Leeds’ weekend team. Wilson has made only 4 Premier League appearances for the club this season and has played 149 minutes, so this setback comes after a limited start rather than a long run of games. His most recent league outing lasted 66 minutes in Leeds’s latest win, which at least showed he was being used rather than parked on the bench.

Wales may be missing a key attacker

The broader problem is Wales. They are returning to League A with a squad already hit by injuries, and Wilson’s absence would remove a 69-cap attacker with 17 goals for his country. Wales face Portugal on 24 September, Norway on 1 October and Denmark on 4 October, so the timing is awkward even before the squad is fully settled.

Wales are also 38th in the world rankings, their lowest position since August 2014, which makes any loss of proven international quality more painful. Wilson is not just another squad option, he has been one of the more productive Welsh attackers for a while, and this injury threatens to leave them light as the campaign begins.

The key date now is Sunday’s Leeds vs Crystal Palace fixture, with Wales still waiting to see whether Wilson is fit enough to feature in the first part of their Nations League return.

Written by Jack Mercer with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 1 outlet. How we work →