Leeds defender Liam Cooper is back. And that’s worth celebrating.
Liam Cooper made his return to training for Leeds United yesterday after a month on the sidelines.
Cooper is back ahead of schedule, and his comeback was hailed by supporters.
Fans raved about Cooper’s fast return, describing it as a ‘Christmas miracle’.
It’s not just the speed of his comeback which turned heads, it’s the fact Cooper is so highly regarded and will make such a big difference to the team.
12 months ago this was not the case. He was viewed as the wrong man to captain the club, and a liability in defence.
It got worse under Paul Heckingbottom, before Marcelo Bielsa came in and helped get Cooper’s career back on track.
Cooper retained his captaincy, a choice by his fellow players, and he has been showing that he deserves to wear the armband.
In defence he has forged a solid partnership with Pontus Jansson, and he could renew this at the weekend against Aston Villa.
Leeds fans will feel a lot better if Cooper is in the side against a dangerous looking Villa team led by Tammy Abraham.
This makes a change from how he was regarded last year, and Cooper’s rise will reach near legendary status if he can captain the team to promotion in May.
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