Unfinished business: Leeds’ forgotten man vows return

The South African international, whose contract with Leeds expired in the summer, hopes to secure a trial with the Elland Road club after taking up an offer to complete his rehabilitation at United’s Thorp Arch training ground.

Somma has been working with Leeds’ physiotherapy staff throughout this season, despite manager Brian McDermott choosing to release him in June at the end of his three-year deal.

The slim chance of Somma receiving an immediate extension to that contract faded with the bout of surgery he underwent in April – the third time in less than two years that Somma required treatment on the same knee – but McDermott gave him the opportunity to work at Thorp Arch, saying Leeds had a duty to “take care” of the forward.

Somma, 28, could be fit enough to begin full training next month and said: “I definitely feel like I’ve got unfinished business at Leeds.

“It’s hard to know what’s going to happen and the gaffer’s going to make his own decisions but when he spoke to me in the summer he said I could come back, get myself fit and then let the club take a look at me.

“He wasn’t in a position to offer me a contract there and then, which I understood. He wasn’t going to give me a contract when I wasn’t fit. But I’m about a month away from being fit enough to train properly and if I’m able to do a bit of training with the first team then I’ll do my best to impress.”

Somma’s release from Elland Road appeared to spell the end of his career with Leeds and the striker, who scored 12 times during his only full term as a fit United player, was linked with a move to Barnsley in August.

But he is still to fully recover from his last operation and continues to suffer the legacy of the knee ligament injury which dramatically halted his promising spell at Leeds in July 2011.

“I never thought I’d be two years down the line and still trying to get myself right,” Somma said. “It’s been tough but I always wanted to get back playing and I always hoped to make more of an impact at Leeds.

“If there was a chance for me here then I’d take it with both hands.”

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