Thomas Christiansen asked about Liam Cooper’s injury in Leeds defeat

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Liam Cooper had to be taken off during the second-half of Leeds United’s Championship clash with Sheffield United on Friday night.

Thomas Christiansen has told BBC Radio Leeds that Liam Cooper suffered a dead leg during Leeds’ defeat to Sheffield United on Friday night and admitted that he was not sure whether the defender would be back for Tuesday’s clash with Derby County.

Leeds suffered their fifth league defeat in seven at Elland Road as Billy Sharp and David Brooks helped the Blades to a 2-1 victory that moves them to the top of the Championship, while the Whites could fall out of the top six if results go against them over the weekend.

The defeat was compounded by the fact that Cooper had to be replaced during the second-half due to an injury. And Christiansen has confirmed what the problem that forced him off actually was.

“He had a dead leg before half-time. In the second-half, he couldn’t sprint. It was a risk and it was difficult with their striker to match that. We preferred to make a change there,” he told BBC Radio Leeds.

“I don’t know,” he added, when asked whether he will be back for Tuesday.

While the fact that Christiansen is not sure about whether his captain will be available for their next game is worrying, the fact that it is a dead leg rather than a strain or something more serious should perhaps be encouraging.

Though Cooper endured a difficult night while he was on the pitch, he has enjoyed an excellent season so far and has established himself as a real leader amongst the team.

And with Matthew Pennington enduring an even more disappointing evening, Christiansen will surely be keeping everything crossed that Cooper recovers quickly.