Liam Cooper can’t have taken much enjoyment out of the last couple of months at Thorp Arch. The defender is thought to have picked up a niggling Achilles issue while training on a treadmill during the off-season and as a result, his pre-season campaign did not go as planned.
He sat out of all five of Leeds United’s friendly games and missed a huge chunk of training, too, while the club’s medical staff monitored the injury and his recovery. As such, when the start of the Premier League season came around earlier this month, Cooper wasn’t ready.
Cooper had hoped to have been involved in some capacity at Southampton, but the decision was taken not to risk him and the same call was made ahead of the Whites’ home clash with Chelsea. However, Jesse Marsch saw the Carabao Cup clash with Barnsley as the perfect opportunity to ease him back into the action.
