A few weeks back Leeds United captain Liam Cooper went out with a knee injury which he suffered in the game against Sheffield United. The defender had to go in for surgery, and club manager Marcelo Bielsa claimed that the centre-back could be back in action by late January or early February. However, the Whites are set to get a massive boost as Cooper has returned to training (Leeds Live) at Thorp Arch and has already started with the rehabilitation process.
The club’s official Twitter account shared a brief post where we saw Cooper moving well and doing some light training. He might be some time away from playing first-team football, but we feel he could be back by early January the way he has recovered miraculously after the surgery.
This is definitely going to be a massive boost for the club given the injury problems they have had at the back. In Cooper’s absence, Kalvin Phillips has dropped in the centre back role from midfield, and so far the Whites have continued their winning run and occupy the top spot on the table at the moment.
Cooper is among those players who have come up leaps and bounds this season under Marcelo Bielsa as he has firmly established himself in the centre back role this season. There were doubts whether the English defender would be able to keep up with Bielsa’s demands when ‘El Loco’ came down to Elland Road, but Cooper has definitely come out as a better player in the past few months.
Even with a makeshift backline, the Whites have continued their juggernaut and have kept it tight at the back for the most parts this season. But now with Cooper coming back, Bielsa can play Phillips in midfield which could then allow Adam Forshaw to play in central midfield areas along with Mateusz Klich.
The 27-year-old centre-back has portrayed good leadership qualities at the back and has also shown that he can play his way out from defence which many doubted at the beginning of the season. He has been strong and robust in his challenges and has often been formidable in the air as well.
Credit to the United medical team for getting some of the players back earlier than scheduled. We saw how Patrick Bamford came back early, and even Luke Ayling is ahead of his schedule (Yorkshire Evening Post) to return. We are likely to see a full-strength backline somewhere in January and that would be a massive boost for the club and the manager.
