Leeds United captain Liam Cooper has takent a few weeks to assess the club's relegation to the Championship. But now he is determined to 'bounce back' next season.
Cooper was unable to prevent the Whites' slide towards relegation in a campaign which saw three managers at the Elland Road club. Injuries restricted the 31-year-old to just 18 Premier League appearances, but the experience defender felt the pain of relegation as much as the fans.
It's the second season in a row the club have battled against the drop, but unlike 12 months ago, this time the challenge proved too great. Cooper is currently on international duty with Scotland, but will return to pre-season training next month with a clear goal in mind.
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"It's been a difficult couple of years," he said ahead of his country's game with Norway. "I think we just just got through last season and obviously we thought it was going to go on to to the next level and solidify our place in the Premier League and. That wasn't meant to be.
"The devastation after that final game was, was hard to take. I sat on it for a week, two weeks and sort of made my own assumptions in my head about where we went wrong as a club where we went wrong as players.
"I'm sort of getting to ease with that now. But the best thing about football is you always get another chance, there's always another game and, we'll have to bounce back."
Leeds United are back in action on July 12 for their first scheduled pre-season friendly against Manchester United in Norway.
