With Billy Paynter missing the friendly games against Bury and Hartlepool, there had been reports that our new summer signing was set to be out for a lengthy spell, leading to further concerns about the strength of our striking options.

Despite the reports however, Simon Grayson insists Billy Paynter’s absence was nothing more than a precaution after picking a knock up in Slovakia.

The Leeds United boss goes on to insist that he’s still looking to strengthen the squad in several positions, but with only a couple of weeks remaining, concerns are growing about the strength of the Leeds United team.

“I said many times that our business wasn’t finished. I want to bring more signings in and we’re still talking to clubs about players in most positions.

“Time will tell when and if we get them but it’s something we’re well on with.”

Concerns about the strength of our squad grew after an embarrassing 4-0 friendly defeat to Bury, but Leeds bounced back with a 5-0 demolition job over Hartlepool. Whilst the result at Hartlepool was certainly an improvement, it’s hard to determine where a team are at from friendlies and my gut instinct is that we still need a few more players.

Top of that list is still the long-awaited Jermaine Beckford replacement. Another summer of speculation linking Gary Hooper with Leeds United now seems to be over as Celtic finalise a deal to take him up north. With Hooper’s name now out of running, it’s hard to see who Leeds United can call upon to replace Jermaine’s invaluable goals?