Leeds United captain Liam Cooper to miss up to six weeks after knee surgery
Wednesday 5 December 2018 15:18, UK
Leeds United captain Liam Cooper has been ruled out for up to six weeks after undergoing knee surgery.
Northern Ireland international Stuart Dallas also faces a spell on the sidelines after fracturing his foot. He will miss between four and six weeks.
Cooper limped off after 21 minutes of last Saturday's 1-0 win at Sheffield United. The 27-year-old travelled to Rome to meet knee surgeon Professor Moriani and underwent an operation on Wednesday morning.
Leeds say Cooper "will begin rehab immediately and is expected to be fit in under six weeks".
Midfielder Dallas will also miss the busy Christmas period after suffering a fractured foot during the win at Bramall Lane. He has made 16 appearances for Leeds this season, scoring twice.
"This is always a period of the season that players tend to pick up more injuries and we disappointed to lose Stuart and Liam who have performed well recently," said Rob Price, Leeds' head of medicine and performance.
"However we have other players who are edging closer to being in contention and have a squad of players who know exactly what Marcelo [Bielsa] expects from them in every position.
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"The medical staff will continue to work with all the players who are going through the rehabilitation progress and we will have them back for what will be a critical stage of the campaign."
Leeds sit second in the Sky Bet Championship, one point behind leaders Norwich City. They face Queens Park Rangers at Elland Road on Saturday.
