Leeds United winger Ian Poveda has undergone successful ankle surgery.

Poveda was stretchered off in loan club Blackburn Rovers' 1-1 draw with Bristol City last Saturday and could face a fight to play again this season after scans revealed he suffered both a fracture and ligament damage in his left ankle.

Earlier this week, Blackburn boss Tony Mowbray revealed that Poveda would face an 'extended spell on the sidelines', but after undergoing successful surgery, he will be hopeful he can make a swift recovery.

In his pre-match Brighton press conference, Leeds United boss Marcelo Bielsa showed his support for the winger, who made 14 appearances from the bench in the Premier League last season.

Bielsa expressed his sorrow for the injury but is confident he will make a strong recovery.

He said: “We established a contact with him, all of the technical staff, to know about our sadness and how we will be close to him after what's happened to him.

“Either way, he's a young man with a lot of character and that's going to allow him to recover and come back stronger than before."