Pontus Jansson
Jansson has been a key figure at the heart of the Leeds defence Getty Images

Leeds United will welcome back centre-back Pontus Jansson for the visit of Bristol City after the Swede missed the defeat to Cardiff City through illness. The 26-year-old withdrew from the team just hours prior to the 2-0 Championship defeat at Elland Road, which ended a run of six home wins without conceding a goal.

Jansson, who made his loan move permanent in January, has been a revelation for The Whites this term, operating at the heart of a defence which is the second best outside the automatic promotion places. His absence was felt at the weekend however as Neil Warnock returned to West Yorkshire to inflict upon Garry Monk's side their second straight defeat.

More from IBTimes UK

But having returned to first team training Jansson is expected to figure for Leeds when they welcome The Robins on Tuesday [14 February] as they look to reignite their promotion charge which is threatening to falter.

"He was ill on the morning [of the Cardiff game] and we had to make those changes and adapt but that happens and that is football," Monk told BBC Radio Leeds. "He is recovering well and back in training, so we are hopeful he will be back. The doctor has been out and seen him. All that sort of stuff is taken care of with the rest of the group in mind. He wouldn't be back in training if we knew he was going to pass [on] and for himself he was ready to train and ready to play."

The return means only Charlie Taylor will be missing for Leeds with an Achilles injury which has seen him miss the club's past 11 games. The 23-year-old is hopeful of returning in time for the weekend trip to Ipswich Town however, meaning Monk is close to having a clean bill of health.

"Everyone is fit apart from Charlie. We're expecting him to be back out on the pitch by the end of next week," the ex-Swansea City boss added. "That'll be a boost for him and for everyone but as I say everyone is fully fit. We have players available and it is about selecting the right team in the games coming. Whatever team goes out there must put in 100% and when we [Leeds] do that we're always in with a chance of winning games and being competitive and that is always going to remain our focus for the rest of the games this season."