Eirik won't be Bakke

Leeds boss Kevin Blackwell has confirmed that Eirik Bakke is out for the season.

Leeds boss Kevin Blackwell has revealed that Eirik Bakke's injury nightmare is set to continue.

United's manager confirmed that Bakke will not be seen by the Leeds fans again this season, as the Norwegian continues his bid to overcome a knee problem.

"The last year has been an absolute nightmare for Eirik," said Blackwell.

"If he plays again before the end of the season it will be a big bonus for us, but at the moment I'm not expecting to have him available because he's got another fortnight of rehabilitation to go and he'll then need to build up his match fitness.

"By the time he does that, we'll probably be out of games."

Bakke's knee injury followed a nine-month period where he was sidelined by a cruciate ligament injury.

The two injuries have ensured that Bakke has only played two minutes of football this season, and Blackwell admitted it is getting Bakke down.

"He's doing his best to keep upbeat but it's a depressing situation for him and I can understand how he's feeling," Blackwell told The Yorkshire Evening Post.

"Eirik's needed a bit of luck with this and he hasn't had any."