Leeds United secured their place at the top of the Championship table on Sunday as they ran out 2-0 winners against Millwall at Elland Road.
The Whites took advantage of Leicester City, who lost to Chelsea at Stamford Bridge in the FA Cup, not being in action in the second tier to leapfrog their rivals at the summit.
Wilfried Gnonto and Dan James scored the goals, either side of half-time, to wrap up the win for the Yorkshire-based side, which sent them into the international break in first place.
Daniel Farke's side are currently competing to secure automatic promotion to the Premier League to return to the top-flight at the first time of asking.
Georginio Rutter, who assisted both of the goals against Millwall, has been a key performer at the top end of the pitch for the Whites but they may be without him after the international break.
Latest Leeds United injury news
Shortly after Sunday's victory, Leeds put out a statement to confirm that the France U21 international would not be linking up with his country this week.
The attacking midfielder was due to play for Les Bleus during the international break but he will remain in England to have surgery on a hernia problem.
Their statement revealed that the former Hoffenheim star has been playing through a hernia issue in recent weeks, which they have had to manage carefully, but this break has now provided them with an opportunity to get it sorted out.
Rutter will now undergo a 'minor surgery' to fix the issue and they reveal that the superb attacker will be allowed to return to action ten days after the operation.
The news was confirmed on Monday and, assuming the surgery took place on the same day, the French gem would be back in training on Wednesday or Thursday next week.
That could throw his involvement in their clash with Watford in doubt as Leeds travel to face the Hornets on Friday next week, which may come too soon for him.
The club's statement did add that they hope, with all being well, that he will be 'in contention' to feature against both Watford and Hull in the Easter matches. However, at this moment in time, it remains to be seen whether or not the Whites star will be available for selection, or at least fit enough to start.
Whilst his absence – from the squad or the starting lineup – would be a blow for Farke, it would provide the manager with an opportunity to finally unleash Mateo Joseph from the start in the Championship.
The exciting young starlet is yet to make his full debut in the second tier but his FA Cup performance against Chelsea and record for the club at youth level suggests that the potential is there for him to be a terrific option.
Why Farke must unleash Mateo Joseph from the start
The former England U20 international, who is currently away with Spain at U21 level, is not a creative maestro like Rutter but Leeds do not have a like-for-like replacement for the French gem in their squad.
However, Joseph is a forward who has the quality to make things happen in the final third and could leave the bulk of the creative workload to be picked up by Crysencio Summerville and Gnonto on the wings, leaving him and Patrick Bamford to focus on finishing chances in and around the penalty box.
The former Espanyol youngster caught the eye at youth level for Leeds with a fantastic return of 19 goals and three assists in 33 appearances in all competitions.
During the 2022/23 campaign, the Spanish-born marksman plundered 17 goals in 24 matches for the U21s, which included 16 goals in 21 Premier League 2 outings.
Farke has made him a part of his first-team squad this season but all 13 of the 5 foot 11 striker's appearances in the Championship have come as a substitute, with zero goals and zero assists to show for his efforts so far.
His performance in the FA Cup against Chelsea, after being named as a starter against the Premier League side at Stamford Bridge, proved that he does have the ability to make a big impact at the top end of the pitch at senior level.
Minutes played
90
79
Shots
3
2
Goals
2
0
Key passes
2
1
Assists
0
0
Pass accuracy
81%
76%
As you can see in the table above, Joseph caught the eye with two goals scored – with a composed one-on-one finish and a back post header – and two chances created for his teammates, whilst Joel Piroe failed to make his mark on the game.
Therefore, Farke must finally unleash the 20-year-old star, who was hailed as "dynamite" inside the box by U23 scout Antonio Mango, for the first time in the Championship if Rutter is not fit enough to start against Watford after his surgery.
Georginio Rutter's Championship stats
The 21-year-old wizard has been in fantastic form throughout the 2023/24 campaign and has proven himself to be an outstanding performer at Championship level.
He has racked up a staggering six goals and 15 assists in 37 league outings for the Whites, which is more than one goal contribution every other match on average.
The left-footed dynamo has assisted more goals than any other player within the division – with former Leeds left-back Leif Davis in second with 14 for Ipswich Town – and only Abdul Fatawu (25) has created more 'big chances' than Rutter (22) so far.
Assists
15
1st
Big chances created
22
1st
Expected Assists
10.06
1st
Key passes per game
2.2
2nd
As you can see in the table above, the young whiz has been the outstanding creative force for Farke's side in the final third so far this season, with his ability to create high-quality opportunities for his teammates.
Piroe, who has 11 league goals this season, and Joseph – the alternatives to Rutter if he misses out through injury – do not offer similar levels of creativity but could make up for that with their respective goalscoring qualities.
This is why the head coach must unleash the Spain U21 international to, hopefully, have his breakthrough display in the Championship with a first start in the division to soften the blow of possibly losing the French star.