Leeds United manager Thomas Christiansen could soon have a tough decision to make at centre-back.
According to the Yorkshire Evening Post Leeds United loanee Matthew Pennington has returned to training following an ankle injury, and it will be interesting to see who starts alongside Pontus Jansson when the young defender is back to full fitness.
After all, the much maligned Liam Cooper has undergone something of a transformation under new Leeds boss Thomas Christiansen and while he sat out the 0-0 draw with Fulham due to a minor setback of his own, his other four league appearances to date proved he was worthy of the captain’s armband.
As a result, it is difficult to see Cooper dropping out of the starting XI unless his form justifies a change of thinking, and as a consequence Pennington may have to get used to a place on the bench for Championship clashes and a starting spot in Leeds’ ongoing EFL Cup campaign.
Given how well Pennington started his temporary stint at Leeds, impressing during pre-season before suffering an injury 64 minutes into his league debut against Bolton Wanderers, it is surprising that just a few weeks later he is no longer guaranteed a starting spot.
Cooper started as he meant to go on in the absence of the suspended Jansson and on this evidence he is not giving up his starting spot without one hell of a fight.
It is a brilliant situation for Leeds to be in, with their defence looking strong and allowing their brilliant array of attacking talent to do what they do best.
There is a long way to go and both Pennington and Cooper will play a vital role between now and May, but the Everton youngster is unlikely to force his older teammate aside just yet.
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