Liam Cooper has a point to prove in pre-season.
A year ago Leeds United defender Liam Cooper was a surprise choice to retain the club captaincy.
He had come off the back of two disappointing seasons and fans were questioning whether he was good enough.
A superb season under Marcelo Bielsa has moved some of the doubters aside, but his role in the play-off mix up with Kiko Casilla underlined that he’s still far from the level some want him to be.
Pontus Jansson’s exit from the club puts pressure on Cooper to lead by example.
The red cards and errors began to disappear from his game last season; he can’t slip back to that.
It’s why Leeds’ game against Manchester United today is so important for the Scot.
This is Cooper’s first test in the post-Jansson era and it comes against top quality opposition.
If Cooper can play well and impress, it will go a long way to building his confidence for the season ahead, and also reassure teammates and fans.
There is a possibility though that Cooper will be exposed by superior opponents and made to look silly.
Should that happen, it will reinforce opinion that Leeds need to sign a senior centre-back this summer to help Cooper out.
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