Leeds United injury news will be well received at Ipswich Town: View | OneFootball

The recent injury suffered by Leeds United's Dan James will be well received by Ipswich Town.

The Wales forward has been an important player for Leeds this season. He joined the club in a huge £25 million deal in 2021, following a difficult two years playing for Manchester United.

During that time, he cemented himself in the Wales national team, although he didn't initially find success at Elland Road.

James spent most of last year on loan at Fulham, as Leeds suffered the ignominy of being relegated down to the Championship.Given his transfer fee, it did not look like James would be a success.However, his turnaround this season has been dramatic, and the Welshman has become an important player in Daniel Farke's promotion-chasing side.However, he suffered a recent injury which could put a dent in their title hunt.

James' injury will be a huge loss for Leeds

Leeds announced that James suffered an injury during the side's 4-3 victory over Middlesbrough on Monday. The forward suffered a "suffered a costal cartilage injury and an oblique abdominal muscle tear", according to the club, after playing just nine minutes at the Riverside Stadium.

They announced that James will miss Friday's match against QPR, which will be an important one in their race for promotion. Leeds currently sit just one point ahead of Ipswich in the league, with the Tractor Boys having a game in hand over the Yorkshire side.

Losing James for that match will be a big loss for the Whites. He has been an important player for Leeds so far, playing forty matches in the league.

He has started or been subbed on in every match he's been available for, adding an impressive 13 goals and six assists in the process.

The Welshman is the club's second top scorer in the Championship so far, above strikers Joel Piroe and Patrick Bamford. While his replacement Wilfried Gnoto has added nine goals of his own, his output has not been as impressive as James on the right-hand side, and will prove a drop in quality when they face QPR later this week.

James is one of the top scorers and assisters out of the players in his position, according to FotMob. His 1.84 crosses per 90 mins puts him in the top 5% of players, while his 57 chances created is more than 90% of right-wingers in the division.

It opens the door for Ipswich to leapfrog Leeds into second place

The loss of James opens the door for Ipswich to win promotion to the Premier League.

James may not have been at his best in recent weeks, but with his pace and direct attacking threat, he is always able to pop up with a goal or create a chance for his teammates.

With QPR battling against relegation themselves, they will do whatever it takes to pick up the points on Friday at Loftus Road.

Meanwhile, Ipswich have an extra game to play compared to Leeds. With two more matches for Leeds and three for Ipswich, the Tractor Boys are in the driving seat in the race for promotion. They face Hull City on the weekend, before traveling to Coventry in midweek.

This means that by the time Leeds run out for their final match of the season, promotion may be out of their hands. If Ipswich win both their matches and QPR beat Leeds, they will be five points ahead and celebrating playing in the Premier League.

This makes it imperative that Leeds win against QPR, but that has been made much harder by Dan James' injury.

Ipswich will be glad to see James not on the pitch for Leeds, as it gives them the best chance of winning promotion at the end of the season.