Leeds United boss Javi Gracia has suggested that Liam Cooper could be in line to start against Arsenal on Saturday.
The Whites are set to return to action this weekend after picking up a huge 4-2 win over Wolves before the international break.
Gracia’s men face the daunting prospect of travelling to north London to face league-leaders Arsenal.
Leeds will be without Maximilian Wober after the January signing picked up an injury while on international duty with Austria.
Wober has impressed since stepping into the Leeds backline, but Gracia has insisted that Liam Cooper is ready to start against Arsenal on Saturday.
Gracia suggests Cooper could start
Speaking to the media ahead of Saturday’s game, Gracia suggested that he was impressed with Cooper’s display against Spain this week.
The Leeds man got around 15 minutes under his belt as Scotland surprisingly picked up a 2-0 win.
“Liam is ready, of course,” Gracia said. “All of us could see the game, I suffered a little bit but I enjoyed because I could see Liam competing again.
“I’m sure in this moment of the season we need all the players ready. With the busy schedule we need all of them.” as quoted by The Yorkshire Evening Post.
Cooper is yet to play a single minute under Gracia as the Spaniard has preferred a defensive partnership of Robin Koch and Wober.
But with the Austrian sidelined, Cooper could get his chance to impress his new boss on Saturday.
The £35,000-a-week man has been reliable for Leeds over the years, but it will be a difficult game for him to step back in for after playing so few minutes under Gracia.
Leeds will be hoping that the 31-year-old can pick up where he left off after putting in a solid cameo display for Scotland to help them see out a shock win over Spain.