IRISH GAFFER HOPEFUL ON INJURED DUO

JAMES MCCLEAN believes he will make a quicker than expected return from injury ahead of the Euro 2020 play-off.

The Ireland winger (below) is in Dubai for specialist rehab work on his medial knee ligament issue ahead of the March 26 clash with Slovakia.

“It’s a torn MCL and a torn meniscus,” he said. “They said it would take six weeks, so I’m hoping it’s three or four.”

Mick Mccarthy, meanwhile, is confident Enda Stevens’ injury is only minor.

Stevens limped off at half-time at the weekend with a groin issue but Mccarthy said: ”He was taken off as a precaution and Chris Wilder hopes to have Enda available against Norwich on Saturday week.”

Middlesbrough MARCELO BIELSA insists Leeds will stick with their high-energy style for the rest of the promotion campaign.

The Whites boss will not deviate from his formula, saying that treating his players like humans not machines will get them over the line in the tense Championship race.

Leeds visit Middlesbrough tonight having rediscovered their form, securing back-to-back home wins to open a five-point gap on third place.

Previously they had won only two games in 11, with doubts over how Leeds could maintain their hardpressing, all-action tactics for a whole season.

Explaining their recent upturn, Bielsa said: “I can tell you football is a discipline where maybe you have the same performance, but get different results.

“That makes football unpredictable and emotional. There is nothing that says clearly what’s going to happen. That is why football is so attractive.

“When you lead a group of players, it’s linked mainly with the human aspect. And nobody treats players as machines.”

Rivals claim his side run a rigid set of patterns and Bielsa admits he never considered changing style during their

Fulham

vLeeds Swansea 7.45pm

JAY FULTON reckons Swansea can win three times in a week to get back into the play-off picture.

The midfielder’s header in the 3-1 win over Huddersfield at the weekend helped the Swans register their first victory in five games and took them within five points of the top six. The attention

7.45pm

now turns to tonight’s clash at promotion rivals Fulham, with Fulton challenging his Swansea team-mates to go on a winning streak

“If you can pick up good points in these three-game weeks it can push you right up the table,” he said. “Anything can happen in this league so we need to keep pushing.”