Marcelo Bielsa handed Leeds United fitness boost ahead of Leicester City clash but any of 22 could start

Cooper picked up a groin injury on international duty with Scotland earlier this month but still looked set to return to the Whites fold when named in the starting XI for the recent Premier League hosting of Wolves.

Cooper then experienced problems in the warm-up and had to be replaced by Pascal Struijk and the skipper was again forced to miss last weekend's clash at Aston Villa which resulted in a fine 3-0 victory as Luke Ayling partnered Robin Koch at centre back with Struijk taking over from the injured Kalvin Phillips in midfield.

Bielsa, though, has revealed that his captain is now back available for Monday night's Premier League clash against Leicester though the head coach has yet to decide who will start.

Spanish international centre-back Diego Llorente remains out with a groin injury while England international midfielder Phillips is on the sidelines having torn ligaments in his shoulder after falling awkwardly during United's 1-0 defeat at home to Wolves.

"Cooper is fine now, but Llorente won’t be fit for this weekend," said Bielsa.

"He (Cooper) is at a very good level, but I haven’t picked the XI yet.

"Being able to count on him is very good."

Asked for an update as to how long Llorente and Phillips would be out for, Bielsa said both were "subject to the evolution of the injuries."

In the meantime, United's head coach said that any members of his first-team squad could start against Leicester when pressed on the chances of both young midfielder Jamie Shackleton and summer recruit Raphinha coming into the XI.

Both impressed from the bench in last weekend's win at Villa.

Bielsa reasoned: "I haven’t defined an XI for Monday, so all 22 players could start and have a possibility to start on Monday."

https://www.yorkshireeveningpost.co.uk/sport/football/leeds-united/yorkshire-evening-post-launch-leeds-united-only-digital-subscription-ahead-premier-league-campaign-2967964A message from the Editor:

Leeds has a fantastic story to tell - and the Yorkshire Evening Post has been rooted firmly at the heart of telling the stories of our city since 1890.

We believe in ourselves and hope you believe in us too. We need your support to help ensure we can continue to be at the heart of life in Leeds.

https://www.yorkshireeveningpost.co.uk/news/why-yorkshire-evening-post-needs-your-support-laura-collins-yep-editor-2913382

Subscribe to our website and enjoy unlimited access to local news and information online and on our app.

With a digital subscription, you can read more than 5 articles, see fewer ads, enjoy faster load times, and get access to exclusive newsletters and content.

Click here to subscribe.

For more details on our newspaper subscription offers click here.

Thank you Laura Collins