On-loan defender Shane Lowry has returned to Aston Villa for treatment and scans on the knee injury that has kept him out of Leeds’ last two games.

Lowry, 20, arrived at Elland Road at the end of January and became the club’s regular left back until injury struck.

He was due to return to his parent club anyway after this Saturday’s game at Southampton but United have an option to extend his loan spell if he recovers quickly from the knee trouble.

Meanwhile, Leeds manager Simon Grayson has refused to write off former Swansea winger Andy Robinson, who has not started a league game all season.

Birkenhead-born Robinson, 30, last made a substitute appearance in the Johnstone’s Paint Trophy northern area quarter-final win over Grimsby in November.

But Grayson said: “Robbo is under contract and still part of our plans. He hasn’t been exiled or sent to train with the kids. It is just that other players are ahead of him at the moment and have done well.”

After their 4-1 win at Tranmere on Tuesday night, United are now preparing to take on the Saints and Grayson said: “Maybe the players have proved one or two people wrong after taking a bit of criticism.

“We are not getting too carried away because there are still 11 matches to go but if we can repeat the sort of performance we gave at Tranmere, we are a handful for anybody in this division.

“We have three big games coming up against Southampton, Millwall and Norwich but they are games we know we can win to maintain the lead we have over the teams chasing us.

“Everyone needs to stay on their toes with 11 games to go.”