Confirmed Leeds United team news v West Ham United: Five players ruled out amid Liam Cooper update
Sam Allardyce has issued an injury update ahead on his Leeds United squad ahead of their Premier League clash against West Ham United on Sunday (21 May).
As reported via Phil Hay on Twitter (19 May), Allardyce revealed that Liam Cooper has returned to training this week after his injury layoff, but the club have been dealt another major blow in the middle of the park.
Marc Roca, who started the 2-2 draw against Newcastle is ruled out of the clash at the London Stadium through injury.
Junior Firpo will miss the trip to East London after being sent off in the latter stages of the 2-2 draw against Newcastle last week, with Allardyce still discussing who replaces him or whether a change in formation is required.
Meanwhile, Luis Sinisterra, Tyler Adams and Stuart Dallas are all long-term absentees and will not play a part against the Hammers.
Crunch time
This is the match that Leeds United paid Big Sam the big bucks for.
When Leeds hired the relegation survival specialist, they wouldn’t have expected much better than the one point picked up from the two games against Manchester City and Newcastle, but this clash against West Ham would certainly have been noted in the calendar.
With the Whites currently sitting a point behind Everton and three off Nottingham Forest, avoiding defeat is simply imperative.
If results were to go against them on Saturday, Leeds could well require a point to keep their hopes of playing Premier League football next season alive.
However, it isn’t all doom and gloom for Allardyce, with West Ham likely to be mentally and physically fried from their midweek Europa Conference League exploits.
On the back of their first-leg victory against AZ Alkmaar last week, the Hammers laboured their way to a 2-0 defeat against Brentford, and Leeds fans will be hoping for a rinse and repeat of this disappointing performance from their opponents.
In other Leeds United news, the club may now face a losing battle to keep their star player at Elland Road beyond the summer transfer window.