Liam Cooper

Cooper, 26, was on the fringes of the Leeds squad last season as Garry Monk opted to combine Pontus Jansson and Kyle Bartley at centre-back.

However, this time around, the former Chesterfield man will be more important to Leeds than ever as the loss of Bartley has made him the Whites’ most commanding centre-back.

Likely to start alongside Matthew Pennington against Bolton on Sunday due to Jansson’s suspension, he will be looking to prove he is worthy of partnering the Sweden international for the 2017-18 campaign.

Purely in terms of options at the back, Cooper must be handed a new deal.