Liam Cooper signals Leeds United title intent with captain surprised at fitness levels

Championship front-runners Leeds are coming to the end of their second week back in training at Thorp Arch after ten weeks of training from home amidst the country's battle with coronavirus.

The fight against COVID-19 has left action in both the Premier League and Championship on hold since the middle of March but football in the country's top two divisions is finally nearing a return.

Action in the Premier League is set to resume on Wednesday, June 17 with the Championship setting the weekend of June 20 as a provisional date for its return.

Leeds sit top of the division with nine games left with Marcelo Bielsa's Whites holding a seven-point cushion in the division's automatic promotion places and one point ahead of second-placed West Brom.

Top two is all that matters as far as automatic promotion to the Premier League is concerned but Cooper says there is a widespread belief within his group that an extremely fit squad can be promoted as champions.

Speaking to LUTV's Bryn Law alongside Whites legend Lucas Radebe as two captains past and present came together, Cooper reflected on the season being paused and admitted: "It’s been tough.

"You have a lot of time to reflect. Coming into the lockdown we’d won five games on the bounce and we were flying, so it came at a horrible time for us.

"We’ve had a lot of time to reflect on what we’ve done and what we can do to be better and finish the job.

"We’ve had that time, trained hard and in these times, it is all you can do.

"Your professional side comes out, we are athletes and there was always going to be a time where we had to be ready to resume.

"All of the lads have stuck to it, the lads are in such good shape and the lads are flying.

"I’ve been surprised at the sharpness of the sessions and fitness levels of the lads and that proves to me that everybody has listened.

"Everybody is thinking like me and has the same dreams as me. We want to get this club to the Premier League.”

Leeds initially returned to tailored training at Thorp Arch a week last Monday adhering to strict social distancing measures though several players had been at Thorp Arch individually the previous week for individual running sessions.

United were then given the green light to progress to contact training this week after the EFL's approval of their risk assessment.

Asked about Bielsa's strategy now that he has got Leeds back working back together on the grass, Cooper said: "There was not much contact, the only contact we had was with the fitness coaches for our running programmes.

"We know this is something no team has had to deal with before and hopefully won’t have to deal with again.

"It’s unique, a nine-game mini season, it is a sprint.

"We have to go full tilt for nine games and I believe we can do that.

"I believe we’re the fittest team in the league and the strongest team in the league.

"There’s not one lad that doesn’t believe we can’t go and win the Championship.

"That is the mentality we have to have, we have to be strong.

"We want to finish it off and take this club to the glory days again.”

A message from the Editor:

Thank you for reading this story on our website. These are challenging times but the team at the Yorkshire Evening Post need your support more than ever in the weeks ahead.

While I have your attention, I also have an important request to make of you. In order for us to continue to provide high quality and trusted local news on this free-to-read site, I am asking you - wherever possible and providing it is safe for you to do so - to also please purchase a copy of our newspaper.

Inevitably falling advertising revenues will start to have an impact on local newspapers and the way we continue to work during this period of uncertainty.

So the support of our readers has never been more important as we try to make sure that we keep you connected with the city you live in during this time.

But being your eyes and ears comes at a price. We need your support more than ever to buy our newspapers during this crisis.

Our team of trusted reporters are working incredibly hard behind the scenes - from kitchen tables and spare bedrooms - to look at how we can do this and your continued support to the YEP will help to protect its viability in the days and weeks ahead.

For more details on our subscription offers please visit www.localsubsplus.co.uk/YEP, email [email protected] or call us on 0330 4033004

Thank you

Laura Collins

Editor

READ MORE: https://www.yorkshireeveningpost.co.uk/news/opinion/were-therewithyou-now-your-yep-needs-your-support-too-laura-collins-yep-editor-2521777