Sat Feb 11, 2017 2:08 pm
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11th February, 2017, 2:04 PM
By Harry Sykes
Pontus Jansson is set to miss Leeds’ league showdown against Cardiff on Saturday due to illness, according to a reliable journalist.
Yorkshire Evening Post correspondent Phil Hay claimed on his personal Twitter account 90 minutes before kick-off that the centre-back will be sidelined for the Elland Road clash, although he did not state the reason for the absence.
BBC broadcaster and journalist Adam Pope offered some more information shortly afterwards on Twitter, as he explained that “the magic hat needs medicine” as he urged Jansson to get well soon.
This was a reference from Pope to the ‘magic hat’ chant sung by Leeds fans to serenade the hugely popular Sweden international.
Jansson’s absence was confirmed shortly afterwards by the club’s official Twitter account as the starting XI was announced for the fixture that pits Leeds against former manager Neil Warnock.
The absence of the Sweden international is a major blow to Leeds as they aim to get back to winning ways following their 2-1 defeat at Huddersfield last weekend.
Jansson has been a mainstay of the team that shrugged off a poor start to the campaign to challenge strongly for promotion.
The 25-year-old has established a strong centre-back partnership with Kyle Bartley that has been the foundation of the team’s against-the-odds challenge for a return to the top flight after 13 years in the lower leagues.
Leeds announced last week that Jansson had agreed a three-year contract with the club that will come into effect when his season-long loan from Torino ends in May.
Leeds are fifth in the table after accumulating 54 points from 30 matches, while Cardiff’s 30 games have yielded 36 points.
Taylor has missed the last 10 matches after breaking down during Leeds’ pre-Christmas win against Brentford on 17 December.