Liam Sutcliffe’s season over as he requires knee surgery

Leeds utility Liam Sutcliffe will play no further part this season due to a knee injury.

The 26-year-old has been playing through the pain barrier since March but he has finally succumbed to his injury and will undergo surgery next week.

Leeds coach Richard Agar said: “We named him in our squad this week but he obviously couldn’t make it through past half-time last week.

“Since March we’ve been looking after him, he’s not been training everyday. We’ve been trying to get him in a physical state so he can play on a weekend.

“I think he’s played exceptionally well for us given what we’ve known behind the scenes and changes of position whether he’s played full-back, stand-off, centre, right side or left side. I think he’s been a real shining light for us this year.

“He’s succumbed to his knee injury and subsequently saw a surgeon last night and unfortunately he’ll need micro-fracture surgery which will rule him out for four to six months.

“We are looking to try and get that done early next week. We are hoping to confirm it for Wednesday, get it done as soon as we can so he will be back in contention for us next year. It is a blow to us because I think he has been great for us this year.”

In other Leeds news, Featherstone have signed Rhinos centre Alex Sutcliffe on loan for the rest of the 2021 campaign.

The 22-year-old centre or back-rower is nearing a return to action after spending time on the sidelines through injury. The Rhinos hold a recall option for him.

Sutcliffe has been heavily linked with a move to Castleford for next season, so he might have played his last game for Leeds.

Sutcliffe has made 15 appearances for Leeds since making his first team debut in 2017. He helped the Rhinos win the Challenge Cup at Wembley last year.