Leeds United defender Liam Cooper says Whites aim will "always be promotion"

The 27-year-old made 38 appearances for the Whites last term, as Marcelo Bielsa saw his side fall agonisingly short of a return to the Premier League.

United's drop in form in the latter stages of the campaign cost the club a spot in the automatic promotion places, before defeat to Derby County in the Championship play-off semi-finals ended the season on a sour note.

Cooper, though, has set his sites on leading another assault on the second tier with top flight football the goal under the Argentine's guidance once again.

"We came up short last year," Cooper said.

"The target will always be to get promoted. To be up there all season and to miss out, it was a bitter pill to swallow.

"It's hard to take. You've got to take that now and use that as your motivation, speaking to the lads I get the sense that they're bang up for this season. We'll have a right good go again."

Asked about how preparations had gone now pre-season is into it's second week, he continued: "The boys have come back in good shape.

"They've certainly stuck to their programmes in the off-season. It's always nice to come back and see the boys and get back to testing your mind.

"We all know it's tough mentally and physically but the lads at this club all keep each other going. We drag each other through it and that's the mentality we've got.

"I think we were allowed maybe two or three weeks off to let your hair down then it's straight back onto your programmes.

"It's tough to do but that's the way the game has gone. Pre-season isn't about coming back unfit to get fit. You've got to come back at a reasonable standard of fitness to peak for the first game of the season."