Jesse Marsch reveals Leeds United January transfer consequence for Liam Cooper - YEP 25/1/23

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Jesse Marsch believes Max Wober's presence at Leeds United can take some of the current strain off Liam Cooper.

By Graham Smyth

The Austrian international made his full Whites debut in the 0-0 draw with Brentford, deputising at centre-back for the injured Cooper.

A knee problem, similar to one he sustained last season, kept the skipper out of action and gave January signing Wober a chance to play in his most natural position. Signed to provide cover and competition at left-back as well as in the centre of the defence, Wober has also played in midfield since arriving from RB Salzburg.

But his display in Sunday's stalemate, next to Robin Koch, was arguably his most impressive yet and while Marsch liked the chemistry between the pair - and noted that Koch and Cooper work well together - he sees benefits of Wober's arrival for Cooper.

"Even when I spoke to Liam about Max coming, it was another player similar to Pascal [Struijk] that can play left-back, centre-back," said the head coach.

"I said that one of the strategies is that Liam, as we see right now, it's been hard for him to train all week, and then be ready for a game and train all week and be ready for a game, and we need to get him into more of a rhythm where he's training and at a top level of fitness and not just preparing him for matches.

"Hopefully, if we can provide him with a little bit more pause,we can then create more longevity and top fitness and health for him along the way. But Liam will continue to be a very important player for us, no doubt."

Cooper is expected to return to training this week but is unlikely to be risked for Saturday’s FA Cup tie at either Accrington Stanley or Boreham Wood unless he makes a rapid and full recovery. Further down the line, who misses out when he, Koch and Wober are all fit and healthy remains to be seen, but as Marsch points out, a potential cup run will give the side more games and give individuals more opportunities for minutes.

"Right now we're playing a lot of matches in a short amount of time," he said.

"Hopefully we can continue this cup run. We're really excited about the prospect of pushing ourselves in that tournament. And then you need to have a full squad, and you need to have a lot of guys clear and ready."

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