Liam Cooper has not been included in the latest Scotland squad, despite his outstanding form for Leeds United.
When Leeds fans consider which players have enjoyed the biggest transformation under Marcelo Bielsa, it would arguably be a little unfair if Liam Cooper’s name was not mentioned after a few of the more obvious candidates.
Players such as Mateusz Klich and Kalvin Phillips have enjoyed seasons that many Whites supporters would have never seen coming. And they are not the only ones.
Nevertheless, Cooper has been outstanding as a defender and as a leader. Of course, he had a game to forget on Saturday as his two errors proved extremely costly in the 1-0 defeat to Sheffield United that saw Leeds reduced to 10 men after Kiko Casilla’s sending off.
But his partnership with Pontus Jansson is a key reason why Leeds have spent so much of the season in the top two in the Championship. After such an underwhelming year last season, the 27-year-old’s response to his critics this term has been remarkable.
And that arguably makes Alex McLeish’s decision not to include the Leeds skipper in his latest Scotland squad look baffling. The Scots have a number of very good defenders available, but Cooper’s form perhaps merited a call-up.
But while some Leeds supporters will be miffed that Cooper is not involved during this international break, they will undoubtedly be delighted that that is the case, especially after Saturday.
Leeds have confirmed on their official website that Pontus Jansson is set to be out for three weeks due to a knee injury. The last thing Marcelo Bielsa needed was for Cooper to run a greater risk of adding his name to the list of those currently unavailable.
Cooper cannot do too much more to earn a call-up than what he is doing right now. But Leeds should be pleased that McLeish appears to have made such a questionable decision.
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