Grayson forced to consider loan market options for Swansea trip

The United midfielder was red-carded in Tuesday’s 3-3 derby draw with Barnsley after twice being booked for fouls on Jacob Mellis.

It means Leeds must travel to South Wales to take on the Swans in front of the live Sky cameras on Saturday without a player who, along with Jonny Howson, has been the club’s only ever-present this term.

Defeat would allow the second-placed home side to open up an eight-point gap on United, something that even with 12 games remaining after Saturday would be very difficult to claw back.

Grayson, who has been a long-standing admirer of Manchester City’s Michael Johnson, said: “Bradley is suspended so we are a body short.

“There is every chance I will go out into the loan market.

“I had irons in the fire, anyway. This just highlights that something needs to be done before the weekend.

“Lots of players would like to come here so don’t be too surprised if there is a new player coming in by the weekend.

“I had a meeting with the chairman on Monday to discuss things anyway. I can bring players in if I want to bring players in.

“It was just a case of when is the right time to do it. This week may well now be that time.”

Should Grayson be successful in bringing a new loanee in before the trip to Swansea, he will not be able to play in the Championship play-off final should Leeds battle their way through to Wembley.

That is because all deals in the emergency loan window can be for a maximum of 93 days, meaning only signings made from Sunday onwards will be eligible for the season’s climax.

Johnson’s dismissal against Barnsley was not the only disappointing aspect of Tuesday night for Leeds after they twice surrendered the lead in having to settle for a point.

The draw was enough to stretch the gap on seventh-placed Leicester City, who lost at Cardiff City, to three points. But with Hull City winning at Derby and 10th-placed Burnley boasting two games in hand, Grayson’s men know a dip in form could prove fatal to any hopes of winning promotion.

The Leeds manager added: “This is a tough division in that there is a fine line between success and failure.

“There are still 13 games to go for the majority of teams in the Championship. We are in the mix and have an opportunity.

“This is a genuine bunch of players who can hopefully fulfil the ambition to go on and finish in the top six, at least.”

The point earned against Barnsley took United’s run to just one defeat in 20 league games, an admirable effort that has seen 39 points collected.

With 10 of those games having been drawn, however, there is a fear that come the end of the season a tendency to drop points when ahead, that was again in evidence against Barnsley, could prove costly.

Grayson said: “We saw the best and the worst of us (on Tuesday night). We started poorly and conceded a bad goal but then showed a lot of character to score twice.

“Unfortunately, after half-time we didn’t do the simple things properly. That was our undoing. We also switched off in that Robert Snodgrass switched off and let the left-back (Matt Hill) in to score.

“After Max (Gradel) got a great goal, we made another mistake by turning our back in the wall. You have to be braver and take one in the midriff or in the chest.

“It was very frustrating because it was a game we should have won.”

Tuesday’s 3-3 draw maintained Leeds’s standing as the top scorers in the Championship with 62 goals, a tally only Watford with 58 are anywhere near.

Just as pertinently, however, United have now conceded 52 times in 33 outings – a record only bottom club Preston North End with 59, Doncaster Rovers (58), Scunthorpe United (54) and Sheffield United (53) will look at enviously in the second tier.

With regards the latest defensive flop, however, Grayson did not reserve criticism for just the back four.

He said: “When you concede three goals, people will look and say the back four has been poor again.

“But it was other areas of the pitch, where we have to concentrate more and be more professional.”

Meanwhile, Grayson revealed that trialist Michael Stewart did not feature in Tuesday’s reserve team defeat to Lincoln City due to international clearance not having arrived in time.

He added: “We will see where we are with that situation.

“His clearance didn’t come through in time to play against Lincoln.

“There is probably more pressing matters in terms of who I want to bring in first.”