Liam Cooper has been called up by Steve Clarke after a superb start to the season with Leeds United.
In comments reported by Leeds Live, Marcelo Bielsa has suggested that Liam Cooper deserves his call-up to the Scotland squad ahead of the upcoming international break after the Leeds captain’s excellent start to the campaign.
Cooper has been superb in the opening weeks of the season. His partnership with Ben White is developing nicely, and Leeds are yet to concede a goal from open play in the Championship since the opening day of the season win at Bristol City.
The 27-year-old has been rewarded for his form by being included in Steve Clarke’s squad for their upcoming games with Russia and Belgium. He has previously been included in senior squads, but the former Scotland under-19 ace is still awaiting the chance to make his full debut for his country.
However, Bielsa insisted that the centre-back deserves to have his form recognised by Clarke.
“This is something which recognises his performance. He deserves it. I congratulate him for this. For me, he deserves it. Opinions on national teams are always a risk because these decisions are made by team-mates or colleagues. This is why I can appreciate this selection of players,” he said, as reported by Leeds Live.
Cooper is definitely one of the players who has made a dramatic improvement since Bielsa arrived at Elland Road. There are still a minority of fans who remain unconvinced about the defender, but the large majority believe that he has stepped his game up and is a hugely important figure at the club.
Of course, Leeds fans will be keeping everything crossed – especially after he missed the win against Stoke at the weekend – that he does not sustain an injury if he does play for Scotland.
But they will also be hoping that he does impress and returns for the next stage of the season with a further boost to his confidence.
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