Leeds United will only be better for spending a full pre-season working under Jesse Marsch, says skipper Liam Cooper. After spending time with the Scotland side last month, Cooper was one of several players given permission to miss the first week of pre-season training.
As such, the defender has returned to action today and he’ll be working hard to get himself fit in time for the opening game of the season at Elland Road against Wolves on August 6. The captain will have been there to welcome new signings Brenden Aaronson and Rasmus Kristensen to West Yorkshire this morning, while Leeds have also secured the signing of Darko Gyabi from Man City.
And, with more signings expected, Cooper believes Marsch will have the time and opportunity to make his mark at Thorp Arch this summer.
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“He came in at a tough part of the season and it was difficult to get any momentum swinging for us but from him coming in, we managed to win a fair few games after him coming in,” Cooper told Sky Sports news. “You could say that kept us up but he’s going to have a full pre-season and he's got time to get his ideas over to us.
“We understand how he works, how he wants us to play and we're looking forward to it, looking forward to getting back to the training ground, see the lads and get this (testing) stuff done with."
On the new signings, Cooper added: “It speaks volumes that they get an extra week off, it tells you they’ve done well with their national teams and they seem great lads. It’s a big part of how Victor (Orta), Angus (Kinnear) and Jesse work, the player as well, but they go for great characters and that’s part of what we are.
“It’s brilliant to meet them and I’m sure we’ll get to know them over the coming weeks and the coming months.”
Marsch welcomed a chunk of his squad back to Thorp Arch last Monday for the start of pre-season, with players being examined and tested extensively before being put through their paces on the training ground. Cooper will be going through the same procedures today before joining his team-mates on the grass.
“Early start, 6am for me for the commute over but just a normal first day back,” Cooper added. “We got our CT scans, heart scans just to make sure it’s all ticking properly.
“Then our body fat tests and our resting heart rate - day of testing - and I’m sure the lads will be raring to go this afternoon.
“Gone are the days of having five, six weeks completely off, that doesn’t happen anymore. We’re up against real athletes every single week and you’ve got to match them, be better than them and that’s what the boys (need to) do.
“I spoke to the manager the other day and the boys have come back in great shape and the international lads are back in today and he is buzzing that the boys have come back in. It only leaves us in good stead, we’ve got four, five weeks till the start of the season and we’re raring to go, hopefully we can have a better season that last season.”
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