Daniel Farke is on the verge of taking Leeds United back to the Premier League for the first time, and he has done so without making many changes to his team, leaving some players out.

Illan Meslier, Joe Rodon, Ethan Ampadu, Glen Kamara, Archie Gray, Crysencio Summerville, and Georginio Rutter all been key players for Leeds this season, leaving little room for others.

That constancy in personnel has given those named a lot of confidence, but it has also meant that other players haven’t had a chance to play under Leeds’ management throughout the 2023-24 season.

Mateo Joseph, for example, deserved to start in the Championship after scoring goals against Chelsea and Watford. Karl Darlow would have expected to play more when he joined from Newcastle last summer.

Another is captain Liam Cooper, who told the Yorkshire Evening Post about his lack of playing time this season. Cooper has suffered injuries and has been forced to watch from the sidelines by manager Farke.

Liam Cooper analyses Leeds’ lack of playing time under Farke.

The left-footed central defender has only made 11 starts this season and played 19 games overall. He began the season’s first game, but injured himself while scoring the first of two against Cardiff.

Cooper is poised to leave Leeds this summer as his contract expires, capping a 10-year career at Elland Road that includes nearly 300 matches. He has finally addressed his lack of playing time this season.

“It has been challenging. Obviously, at the end of the day, I want to play as many minutes and games as possible. But you need to get your head around that. Obviously, I was injured at a tough moment.

“It was always difficult to be injured like that. It’s been challenging, but you need to take on a different job. Keep the lads motivated, set a good example in training and off the pitch. “I believe I have done that.”

 

Cooper is believed to have played his final game for the club.

Cooper said in his programme notes ahead of the second leg of the play-off semi-final against Norwich that captaining Leeds had been a pleasure. It suggested he was aware that his time at Leeds was up.

Of course, he could sign a new contract and prolong his history with Leeds. However, if Leeds win against Southampton on Sunday, he is unlikely to sign a new contract, while failing to earn promotion might mean he stays.

It remains to be seen if Cooper will see action on Sunday, but this is not a game in which Farke can make appearances just for the purpose of making them. But who knows, Leeds might have to call on Copper