Reliable journalist details major Leeds injury doubt for clash v Reading, scan required

Thu 8 March 2018 15:11, UK

Leeds United are very likely to be without club captain Liam Cooper when they travel to the Madejski Stadium to face Reading on Saturday, according to a reliable journalist.

Yorkshire Evening Post reporter Phil Hay claimed on his personal Twitter account that Cooper, 26, requires a scan on his leg after he was forced off the pitch in the 3-0 defeat to Wolves at Elland Road on Wednesday night.

it is understood that he is now a major doubt for the trip to Berkshire and that means Matthew Pennington may be called upon to start next to Pontus Jansson in the backline.

Liam Cooper has a dead leg. Needs a scan so he's unlikely to feature at Reading. #lufc
— Phil Hay (@PhilHayYEP) March 8, 2018

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Cooper has made 30 appearances in all competitions for Leeds this season and has had a fair share of time on the sidelines due to suspensions and niggling injuries.

His centre-back partner Jansson could find himself handed a two-game ban soon if he is not careful, with him one yellow card away from his 10th of the campaign.

Football Insider verdict

Cooper will be a big miss for Leeds, even though he has come in for a lot of criticism this season. Pennington is definitely a downgrade on the club captain so having him missing for the next game, or even more, is a blow for Paul Heckingbottom. It seems that the club’s season is now over anyway. There’s no threat of relegation and there’s no hope of finishing in the play-offs. Victor Orta must improve every single area of this squad in the summer, but in an ideal world, Andrea Radrizzani would sack the Spanish director of football for a series of mistakes. Not improving on Kyle Bartley was one of them.