Phil Hay: Leeds captiain Liam Cooper has COVID
Liam Cooper is out with illness and The Athletic’s Phil Hay reported the Leeds United captain has Covid-19.
The defender missed the game against Chelsea with Marcelo Bielsa revealing he was ill, though he made no mention of Covid, as is typical.
Scotland boss Steve Clarke also spoke this week about not including Cooper in his squad as he would have been unavailable for Scotland’s first two games in the international break.
Phil Hay then shared his knowledge about the situation on latest episode of The Phil Hay Show podcast: “Liam Cooper’s still ill, our understanding is that it’s Covid although the club aren’t talking about that and Bielsa never comments on it either.
“He wasn’t in the Scotland squad earlier this week and then Steve Clarke said Cooper would have missed the first two games if he was called up so you can read into that what you will.”
Could lose his spot
Cooper’s absence last weekend opened the door up for Pascal Struijk and he grabbed the opportunity with a terrific display.
He and Diego Llorente looked as if they had played together for years and shut out Chelsea.
It would be harsh for either of them to be dropped against Fulham regardless of whether Cooper was fit, and that means the skipper may not come back into the side straight away.
He does provide leadership as well as his defensive qualities but Llorente and Struijk are arguably better on the ball, which is key for Bielsa.
Robin Koch and Gaetano Berardi may also be ready for action after the international break.
We could finally see the competition for places at the back pay off and we welcome that, even if it means we see less of Cooper.
In other Leeds United news, Bielsa can get Leeds fans off their seats by giving a chance to U23 star who is a ‘free spirit’.