'What made us' - Liam Cooper on Leeds United loss, changes, Whites arrival and new 'end goal'

Leeds will begin life back in the Championship after three consecutive seasons in the Premier League with Sunday afternoon’s hosting of Cardiff City which will mark a first competitive game in charge for new boss Daniel Farke.

The double-Championship winning boss with Norwich City was appointed by Leeds at the start of last month as the Whites look to bounce back from last season’s relegation under their new owners of 49ers Enterprises Group.

Writing in Sunday’s matchday programme, Cooper pulled no punches in assessing last season, the changes required or United’s fitness levels which he admitted had ultimately previously made his side a good team.

Cooper, though, revealed the excitement in the Whites dressing room upon the appointment of Farke whose demands have been hailed by United’s captain as part of an “exciting” new era at Elland Road.

Cooper wrote: "Last season wasn’t good enough and changes needed to be made over the summer. We’ve obviously had new owners, the manager and his staff, along with a big turnover in the playing squad, too.

"We now have a clear end goal – to get the club back to the Premier League as soon as possible – and I believe it is a really exciting time as we begin this new chapter.

"The new manager has a proven track record of getting teams out of this league, and there was a lot of excitement in the group following his appointment. We’ve had a really good pre-season and the manager has begun to implement his ideas and philosophy.

"Over the last couple of seasons, we went away from what made us a good team and we weren’t fit enough. Now, with the style of play the boss demands, I believe it suits us as a team and our attributes. Naturally, this is just the beginning and we will continue to improve step by step, the more we work with him, as the season progresses.”