Rachubka will step in for United’s Championship game against Coventry City if Andy Lonergan fails to recover from the bruised finger suffered in Friday night’s victory at Doncaster Rovers.
Lonergan was replaced by Rachubka midway through the second half of Leeds’ impressive 3-0 win at the Keepmoat Stadium, and United have been assessing him over the weekend in the hope of passing him fit ahead of tomorrow’s fixture.
The former Preston North End player has been one of the club’s most impressive performers this season having started the term as Simon Grayson’s preferred keeper, ahead of Rachubka.
Rachubka’s appearance as a substitute on Friday was only his second of the term, following on from a previous outing at Doncaster in the second round of the Carling Cup, but Lonergan will be forced to make way for the 30-year-old unless he shakes off his injury.
Grayson said: “Andy took a knock to his finger but taking him off was more of a precaution than anything.”
Rachubka was Grayson’s first close-season signing, arriving at Elland Road on a free transfer from Blackpool, but Lonergan’s form has restricted him to few opportunities in the first two months of the Championship term.
He is nevertheless an experienced understudy for Lonergan having amassed more than 200 appearances in a career which began at Manchester United and continued at Huddersfield Town and Bloomfield Road.
Grayson is unlikely to take a risk over Lonergan’s fitness with six fixtures awaiting Leeds before the season’s next international break on November 7. United have no other fresh injury concerns ahead of the meeting with Coventry at Elland Road.