Leeds United under-23 coach Daniel Scholfield has moved to allay any fears surrounding the fitness of senior defender Liam Cooper after his appearance on Monday.
The centre back turned out for the club’s reserve clash against Hull City but was substituted off after 65 minutes, journalist Joe Urquhart reporting that he had administered ice to his knee in what was a potentially worrying sight for the Elland Road faithful.
https://twitter.com/JoeUrquhartYEP/status/1082375043022286849
However, Scholfield moved to address any worries over Cooper, insisting that the early change was planned and that he was happy with how the defender’s performance had gone.
Asked if the club captain was alright, he told LUTV: “Yeah, brilliant with Coops. He was planning to play 60 minutes, he played 60 minutes.
“It’s fantastic to have the club captain, to have him with the young players and setting an example, which he did.”
Opinion
Phew! Leeds fans would no doubt have been sweating after seeing their captain head off early in the under-23 clash and the report about him icing his knee would not have helped their fears in the slightest. It is great to hear that he is fighting fit, not least because Marcelo Bielsa is facing a real headache when it comes to his defensive options this season. Injuries have really taken their toll on the side and so the Argentine boss has had to put round pegs in square holes or bring the inexperienced youngsters from Thorp Arch into the senior setup. Cooper has not had the best of times with injury and so any worries about him will be multiplied, but it sounds as though he is nearing the very end of his recovery process after this latest step. Will he be in the first team any time soon? Well, with Bielsa’s lack of other options it might well be a leap back into the deep end for the enforcer.