Former Leeds manager Marcelo Bielsa has been praised by Sky Sports reporter Michael Bridge for the way he dealt with the lack of players available to him over the Christmas period.

Several Premier League teams had games called off following a number of absentees through Covid-19 and injuries, although the Elland Road outfit were one of a few sides to continue fulfilling their fixtures.

What happened with Leeds?

There was one game in particular against Arsenal in December that Leeds had just nine senior players available. As a result, Bielsa was forced to start the game with 20-year-old right-back Cody Drameh and 19-year-old Joe Gelhardt.

With 10 players on the treatment table, Bielsa also had to name a youthful bench, which included 15-year-old Archie Gray, who's never made an appearance in senior football.

As a result, Mikel Arteta's side ran out 4-1 winners, although Bielsa's side put up a good fight and briefly made a game of things late in the second-half when Raphinha thumped home a penalty.

On the same day, the rest of the Premier League programme was called off, although Bielsa said that it was right that the game went ahead despite being forced to name a depleted squad.

Ironically, Arsenal's trip to Tottenham last month was postponed due to the Gunners having a limited amount of players available, despite having just a couple of Covid-19 cases.

What did Bridge say about Bielsa?

He told GIVEMESPORT: "I have to say, when managers were getting games called off left, right and centre, Bielsa had a 15-year-old on the bench [against Arsenal], and I didn't hear much moaning. He's a let's get on with it kind of guy."

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When are Kalvin Phillips and Patrick Bamford expected to return?

Leeds' injury crisis has eased up since that Arsenal game, but they're still without some key players right now.

Five players missed the defeat to Tottenham on Sunday, with Liam Cooper, Kalvin Phillips, and Patrick Bamford all still on the treatment table.

A report from The Athletic said that Phillips and Bamford, arguably two of Leeds' three best players along with Raphinha, were expected to return for the home game against Aston Villa on 10 March.

However, when Bielsa conducted his final pre-match press conference before his sacking, he wasn't able to put a timeframe on when the duo might return, which remains a major concern for Leeds ahead of some crucial fixtures in the coming weeks.