Liam Cooper is set to make his Leeds United comeback in a fortnight, according to Marcelo Bielsa.
Speaking at his media conference on Friday, the Argentine manager provided a major boost with his update on the Elland Road skipper, who has been sidelined with a knee injury since 1 December.
Cooper made an early return to training after knee surgery this week but is set to miss the four fixtures over the festive period.
“He came back but he needs two weeks more,” Bielsa said, as quoted by the Yorkshire Evening Post.
OPINION
Leeds fans who saw the tweet on the club’s official Twitter account this week of Cooper being put through his paces at Thorp Arch would have hoped he might be able to make a miraculous recovery in time for Sunday’s showdown against Aston Villa. That possibility was emphatically ruled out by Bielsa today as he claimed the 27-year-old will require another fortnight of rehabilitation before he is able to make his first-team return. That means Cooper will not only miss the landmark trip to Villa Park this weekend, but also the home fixtures against Blackburn Rovers and Hull City, and the New Year’s Day trip to Nottingham Forest. Leeds have coped well without Cooper in their last two matches, with Kalvin Phillips dropping back to partner Pontus Jansson at the back. But the skipper will have a big role to play in the new year, especially as he has been one of the club’s most improved players this season.