Over the remaining eight games, Rutter will try to cap off his outstanding season by assisting Leeds in achieving an immediate return to the Premier League.
Perhaps more crucially, Rutter has had the opportunity to relax during the international break after withdrawing from France’s U21 squad.
Unfortunately, he has spent the previous week and a half recovering from minor surgery to repair a hernia, which is believed to have been bothering him for several weeks.
Daniel Farke seems optimistic in his news conference yesterday that he will be in contention for tomorrow’s encounter at Watford, having already participated in sections of team training, which would be a huge boost for Leeds.
Rutter admitted after the recent win over Millwall that it was not his greatest performance, and it has been for several weeks, but he has continued to give a consistent effort.
It’s now evident why Rutter wasn’t performing as well as he had earlier in the season, but it’s a tribute to his character that he persevered playing through the agony to help Leeds continue their great run.
As previously said, Rutter’s overall performance may have decreased, but his production did not. He recorded both assists in a 2-0 victory over Millwall, demonstrating what he brings to the squad even when he isn’t at his best.
That brace of assists brought his total for the season in the Championship to 15, the most in the division so far, slightly ahead of excellent former Leeds left-back Leif Davis at Ipswich Town.
Graham Dorrans, Michael Kightly, and Harry Wilson all hold the record for the most assists in a single campaign at this level, with 19 in various seasons during the last few years.
However, Leeds star Rutter has a chance to beat that record, as he is only four points behind with eight games remaining.
Having continued to provide assists while injured, the operation he underwent is only likely to improve his game, which poses a threat to those who now hold the record.
To have a realistic chance at breaking the record, Rutter will almost certainly need to play every game.
Tomorrow appears to be the only encounter in which he may be in doubt due to the operation, although Farke has sounded quite sure that he will play in some manner.
He stated, “We have the time to perform surgery on Georginio Rutter, and he has been fantastic in recent weeks during the international break, despite playing in pain.
“He was still present at many critical moments, but it’s also typical to be able to carry an injury for a few weeks but not months since you will eventually pay the price. He is on his way back and has already participated in some of the team’s training. That was certainly a positive thing.”