Leeds United midfielder Anton Stach is a major doubt for the upcoming Premier League fixtures against Manchester City and Chelsea, following concerns over a concussion sustained during Sunday’s 2–1 defeat to Aston Villa.
The German landed awkwardly after colliding mid-air with Villa goalkeeper Emiliano Martínez in the build-up to Leeds’ opener, and although he initially played on, he was replaced by Ao Tanaka after 23 minutes.
According to Leeds Live, the 25-year-old will definitely miss the trip to the Etihad Stadium this weekend, with club medics monitoring his recovery in line with the Football Association’s concussion protocols.
Strict concussion protocols delay Stach’s potential return
FA Return-to-Play Guidelines stipulate that the earliest a player can feature again after a concussion is seven days — and only under “exceptional circumstances”. However, as injury specialist Ben Dinnery explained to Leeds Live, such a quick turnaround is “highly unlikely” even under the **Premier League**’s “enhanced care setting.”
“*Enhanced care settings would typically mean that a player cannot return to play until at least 12 days,” Dinnery said. “Unless it’s under exceptional circumstances and then you could be looking at maybe a return to play around seven days, but that’s highly unlikely for the most part.*”
With day one of the concussion timeline beginning at midnight after the incident, the earliest possible return for Stach would be Friday, December 5 — just in time for Leeds’ home clash against Liverpool. Even then, the midfielder would need to progress through cognitive and physical tests without any setbacks.
Medical monitoring and recovery process
As Dinnery further explained, concussion recovery involves multiple stages — from complete rest to light activity, non-contact training, and finally full-contact participation. Each step is monitored carefully to ensure no lingering symptoms.
“*The brain doesn’t know whether there’s still damage,” Dinnery noted. “When you increase intensity and come into collisions, there can be a relapse or reaction — that’s when you ease back and say they’re not ready for this week.*”
For most players, Dinnery said, the recovery and reintegration period typically spans around two weeks before returning to full competitive action.
Farke confirms Stach absence and explains Tanaka substitution
Following Sunday’s loss, Leeds boss Daniel Farke confirmed that Stach would miss the trip to Manchester City and explained why Ao Tanaka — who replaced the German — was later taken off despite playing just 40 minutes.
“*The fourth official said the referee wanted to send Tanaka off, but because he played advantage, he wasn’t allowed to give a second yellow card,*” Farke told reporters via the Yorkshire Evening Post.
“I didn’t want to take Ao off because he was just on the pitch for 40 minutes, but he was involved in another duel and it was quite tight. I thought I couldn’t take the risk any more.
*We need him available for the next game day as Anton will be out following the concussion protocol.*”
Farke’s cautious approach underlines how thin Leeds’ midfield options have become, with Stach’s absence further stretching the squad ahead of a tough run of fixtures against Manchester City, Chelsea, and Liverpool.
Leeds hope for swift recovery
While Leeds will miss Stach’s composure and physical presence in midfield, the club’s medical team are prioritising his long-term health and adhering to best practice.
As Dinnery concluded:
“*For the most part, players will return to play typically within that two-week ballpark period and will be seamlessly reintegrated with the team without any major issues.*”
Leeds supporters will be hoping that proves true, with Stach potentially back in contention for the clash against Liverpool — provided he passes every stage of the FA’s strict concussion protocol.