Leeds: 6'2 star 'has been a big miss' amid Marcelo Bielsa sacking

Leeds captain Liam Cooper has been a big miss for the Elland Road outfit recently, according to journalist Pete O’Rourke.

The centre-back hasn’t played since suffering a hamstring problem almost three months ago.

The 6 ft 2 defender has been one of many long-term injuries to key players for Leeds this season, which has included the likes of Kalvin Phillips and Patrick Bamford, who are both on the treatment table at present.

But Cooper’s absence has been felt more than most given Leeds’ recent defensive woes. The Scotland international has missed the last 11 Premier League games, with the Yorkshire giants failing to keep a single clean sheet in that period and have conceded 38 goals.

Leeds’ vulnerabilities at the back were in full flow once again on Saturday as they found themselves 3-0 down after just 27 minutes against Tottenham.

The 4-0 scoreline eventually proved the final straw for Marcelo Bielsa, who was sacked less than 24 hours after the game.

Injuries haven’t helped Bielsa’s cause to turn things around at Leeds, with players missing more than 100 league games combined this term, with Cooper right at the heart of their freak crisis.

He told GIVEMESPORT: “Liam Cooper has been a big miss as well at centre-back. They’ve had to move Luke Ayling round from his normal right-back role and it’s not his preferred position.”

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In Bielsa’s final pre-match press conference, he was asked to provide an injury update on the likes of Cooper and co.

Initially, there were hopes that Cooper and Phillips were in line to return for the home game against Aston Villa on 10 March, which would have seen them miss just one more Premier League fixture, the trip to