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Ethan Ampadu is poised to feature for Wales in their upcoming UEFA Nations League double-header - but Leeds United may be watching on with fear

Ethan Ampadu is among the clutch of Leeds United players lining up on international duty across the next week, although the club may only be watching on in fear.

The Whites skipper will be in action for Wales in their upcoming UEFA Nations League qualifiers, with Joe Rodon and Karl Darlow accompanying him as part of Craig Bellamy's first international squad.

Moving away from the Red Dragons trio, Leeds have seen various senior players summoned for international duty before the Championship season restarts next weekend and the likes of Ao Tanaka, Ilia Gruev, Brenden Aaronson, Manor Solomon and Max Wober have all received call-ups.

Leeds have enjoyed a positive start to the 2024/25 Championship season and will hope that their promotion ambitions are not scuppered in any way by seeing key performers sustain injuries while away on international duty.

Daniel Farke's side are among just five outfits yet to suffer defeat in the early stages of the current campaign, having claimed eight points from their opening four encounters including a 2-0 victory over Yorkshire rivals Hull City in the final round of fixtures before the international break.

Leeds United will watch Ethan Ampadu's Wales matches with worry

Ampadu was one of three Leeds players to receive a call-up to Bellamy's squad for their upcoming Nations League showdowns against Türkiye and Montenegro. Wales host the EURO 2024 quarter-finalists tomorrow evening at the Cardiff City Stadium, where Leeds will visit in just over two weeks' time, before travelling to Montenegro for Monday's clash.

Bellamy is a Head Coach who exudes a winning mentality, beholds exceptionally high standards and will be vying to initiate his senior career in charge of his country in a rich vein, so it is difficult to envisage him electing to deploy a weakened squad for either encounter.

With that in mind, it very much appears as though Ampadu is nailed-on to add to the 52 caps he has accumulated at senior international level since 2019. When fit, he rarely misses a game and usually sees out the full 90 minutes in each one, which is also a common theme at Elland Road.

Alongside Swansea City captain Matt Grimes, Ampadu was one of just two Championship outfield players to not miss a single league minute in the previous season, which underlines his importance to Farke's system.

The worry, however, is that he bears a similar sense of value for Wales and has transitioned into a top performer amid significant upheaval of the side over the last couple of years.

With many senior operators such as Gareth Bale, Jonny Williams and Chris Gunter no longer available through retirement from international or professional football entirely, Ampadu represents a senior head in the dressing room as his experience belies his age, and he is tailor-made to help fulfil Bellamy's possession-based philosophy - which was cultivated from working alongside Vincent Kompany at Burnley.

Leeds United cannot afford potential Ethan Ampadu injury

Ampadu has been fortunate enough to accure what has largely been a strong bill of health over the last couple of years, missing very few games through injury despite suffering serious setbacks in his formative days.

Nonetheless, his importance for Leeds on and off-the-pitch coupled with the fact he is equally indispensable, and as frequently used, to Wales means that the anxiety of a potential injury will prove difficult to cool.

Leeds may have Ao Tanaka and Joe Rothwell waiting in line for a start, but nobody at the club - or across the division, for that matter - can dictate the rhythm of matches with the same coolness, composure, elegance and intelligence as Ampadu.

Spatially aware and two steps ahead of his counterparts before even receiving possession, the former Chelsea prospect perhaps has the safest outfield spot in Farke's team and will prove a vital cog in any potential success this term, so missing him for a period of time could be catastrophic.

His importance to Leeds was encapsulated when he received the captains' armband this summer following Liam Cooper's departure, and they can ill afford to be without his services for any duration.