The Leeds United defender will be back in the starting line-up this weekend.
Pontus Jansson has been one of the signings of the season, not just in terms of Leeds United’s new additions but in the Championship as a whole. So it will be a big blow when the no-nonsense centre-back serves a one-match suspension against Rotherham United this weekend.
Jansson collected his fifth booking of the campaign in the 2-0 defeat to Newcastle United on Sunday, meaning his brilliant partnership with fellow loanee Kyle Bartley will be broken up for at least one match.
Liam Cooper is expected to step in and the 25-year-old will need to hit the ground running after playing just 47 minutes of Championship football since August.
The form of Jansson and Bartley has seen Cooper consigned to the substitutes’ bench, but the former’s absence is exactly why it is important to have strength in depth when chasing promotion.
Cooper will know he is third-choice at Elland Road, and that could remain the case for the foreseeable future if Leeds tie up deals for the two loanees in due course.
However, he is a team player and he will know that while opportunities may be few and far between right now, he still has a role to play.
Leeds are heading in the right direction and Cooper will be hoping to help them back on track after their disappointing result against many people’s champions-elect.
He will see the game as a chance to remind his manager what he is capable of, and in so doing push Jansson and Bartley to perform even better.
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