‘Out the next two games’ – Another Leeds senior player suffers international injury blow
Scotland manager Steve Clarke has confirmed that Leeds United centre-back Liam Cooper has suffered an injury blow while on international duty.
Cooper, 29, has started three of Leeds’ four Premier League fixtures this season and also earned his fourth cap for Scotland last week as they beat Israel in Euro 2021 qualifying.
However, ahead of Scotland’s 1-0 win against Slovakia in the Nations League on Sunday, Clarke confirmed that Cooper had been hit with an injury issue that ruled him out of that match as well as the Scots’ clash against the Czech Republic on Wednesday.
“Unfortunately Liam Cooper has picked up an injury and he will be out the next two games,” said Clarke, as quoted by Sky Sports.
Cooper’s setback is a massive blow for Leeds because he’s not the only centre-back to have been hit with a problem during this international break.
On Sunday, Spain confirmed on their official website that Diego Llorente suffered a muscle injury with ended his international duties earlier than planned.
If Cooper and Llorente are both out of action for any kind of time, it means that Marcelo Bielsa might be forced to start Pascal Struijk alongside Robin Koch when the Whites play Wolves at Elland Road on Monday night.
Koch and Struijk started together when Leeds lost 4-3 against Liverpool on the opening day of the Premier League campaign.
It really is rotten luck that United have signed two new international centre-backs in the transfer window, yet one of those, plus the club captain, have been hit with injuries so early in the campaign.
Hopefully at least one of Cooper or Llorente is fit to play against Wolves – they have a week to recover.
But this is just peak Leeds.