After seeing off Cagliari 6-2 at Elland Road on Sunday evening, Leeds United will be flying high in confidence as they approach Saturday’s Premier League opener against Wolves. Jesse Marsch has worked hard on his side over the summer and supporters have been impressed by how well the club’s new signings seem to have settled in.
However, at this stage it seems the Whites will enter the new campaign without any of their recognised leaders. Of course, Liam Cooper would ordinarily be leading the side out in West Yorkshire on Saturday to begin his eighth full season as skipper at Elland Road.
The defender was given the armband by Neil Redfearn during the 2014-15 season and he will captain the side once more this year as the Whites look to further establish themselves in the top flight. Cooper has missed a huge chunk of pre-season through injury, though, and while he has restarted training this week, he is rated as a huge doubt for Saturday’s contest.
Read more: Leeds United's Rodrigo sent out clear message of intent with Cagliari hat-trick
Luke Ayling and Stuart Dallas, who have lead the side previously in Cooper’s absence are also sidelined at present through injury. As such, it seems Marsch has something of a decision to make regarding who will skipper United on Saturday against Bruno Lage’s side.
Adam Forshaw wore the armband during the club’s pre-season tour of Australia, but he won’t restart training until later this month after picking up a knock in the draw with Crystal Palace in Perth and that potentially opens the door for Patrick Bamford to take on the responsibility. Bamford was the man given the nod on Sunday at Elland Road and while it was only a friendly, he looked more than comfortable in the role.
The 28-year-old, who has been a member of the head coach’s leadership council for some time now, is recognised as one of the most senior members of the squad and he scored twice on the night against Cagliari, taking both goals with aplomb. Both goals were special moments as he appeared to leave last season’s struggles behind him and propel himself into the new season.
There are other options for Marsch, of course, with Rodrigo also part of the leadership group within the club. Robin Koch has experience in the role, too, after being given the armband by his teammates for a friendly against Blackburn Rovers last summer.
USA international Tyler Adams has leadership experience having captained his country on a number of occasions, while Rasmus Kristensen skippered Red Bull Salzburg a handful of times last season. However, Marsch’s choice on Sunday seemed to suggest that Bamford is the frontrunner for the captaincy and if Cooper is to miss out, fans can expect to see the England international lead United out of the tunnel and onto the turf this weekend at Elland Road.
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