Austin suffered a thigh strain in Saturday’s 3-2 defeat to Watford and has been added to the growing list of injured midfielders at Thorp Arch.
Neil Redfearn, who was already without Tommaso Bianchi and Grandi Ngoyi for tomorrow’s game at home to Ipswich Town, said Austin would be absent for up to three weeks as he recovers from a minor muscle tear.
The Jamaican international limped out of the defeat to Watford having earlier produced a strike which Redfearn called “the goal of the season” and he has been a pivotal member of a resurgent Leeds team since the start of January.
“Rudy’s going to be two or three weeks,” Redfearn said. “He’s got a slight thigh strain, a grade two.”
The United head coach is running short of players with his side still to make themselves mathematically safe from relegation and he made a fresh plea for loan signings to help carry Leeds through to the end of the Championship season.