Lees was a mainstay in Huddersfield’s previous two campaigns, appearing in all but three league games in Town’s tumultuous but ultimately successful escape from relegation under Neil Warnock, where he added another two to his goal tally in West Yorkshire. In his first season after joining from Sheffield Wednesday, Lees scored three goals in 43 appearances for Huddersfield.
After the 74-year-old manager took over in the middle of February, he was one of three players, along with Jack Rudoni and fellow center-half Michael Helik, to log every minute of action.
He has been out thus far in the season, but the 32-year-old has recently shown encouraging signs.
What has changed most recently about Tom Lees’ injury recovery?
However, the defender was able to get his first minutes of the season on September 13th, as Huddersfield Town B featured against Newcastle United in the side’s opening Premier League Cup encounter at the John Smith’s Stadium.
Lees was one of five over-age players from the club’s first team squad selected by Jon Worthington, with the others being Chris Maxwell, Kyle Hudlin, Yuta Nayakama and Josh Austerfield.
But on September 13, when Huddersfield Town B faced Newcastle United in the team’s inaugural Premier League Cup game at the John Smith’s Stadium, the defender was able to play his first minutes of the season.
Jon Worthington chose five overage players from the club’s first team roster, including Chris Maxwell, Kyle Hudlin, Yuta Nayakama, and Josh Austerfield.
In the opening match of the group round of the competition, Lees played for 46 minutes before being replaced by David Adewoju. The score ended up being 1-1. The part Lees will play when Huddersfield hosts Rotherham United in the Championship on Saturday is still up in the air.
What has Tom Lees’ teammate’s teammate said about him?
When healthy, Lees has played defense with Matty Pearson and Helik, whose defensive performances in the second half of last season were crucial to Town’s survival.
As Lees looks to build on Huddersfield’s first win of the season, a 2-1 victory at West Bromwich Albion prior to the international break, Pearson hopes Lees can follow in the footsteps of his teammate, who was sidelined from July 2022 to January 2023 before making an impact.
“It’s roles reversed with Tom Lees. He’s had a tough start this season and it was me last year and I ended up being out until January,” Pearson told the Yorkshire Post.
“It’s part and parcel of football and how you react and bounce back. Same with Tom, he will come back fighting fit and raring to go.
“It’s part of the journey. You have just to get on with it, you can’t sulk,” the defender continued.
Will Tom Lees slot straight back into Neil Warnock’s plans when fit?
Lees’ importance to this Huddersfield side cannot be understated, and in a side which has conceded ten goals in its opening five games, it seems that Warnock would give him an immediate return to the matchday squad when fit.
The 46 minutes in midweek will definitely feel like the best sign of progress yet from his personal point of view, and you’d expect that his game time with the club’s B team would only increase over the next few weeks before returning to regular Championship action.