Last night, Leeds United’s Under-23s travelled East along the M62 to face their Hull City counterparts. It was also a game to watch for one particular reason.
That reason, the additional interest for Leeds United fans, was that club captain Liam Cooper was making his comeback from a knee injury that had kept him out for the last six weeks.
Operation done and dusted, Cooper lasted 65 minutes before being withdrawn ahead of a possible start against Derby County in Friday’s Sky Bet Championship game. It is a game where the Whites will be hoping to arrest two consecutive losses in the league.
Whilst Cooper may have made the headlines in some quarters, it was former Barcelona youngster Kun Temenzhkov who grabbed the goals. It was his brace that brought the victory and a return to the top of the table for the young Leeds United players back to West Yorkshire.
It was the continuation of an excellent weekend for the Bulgarian youngster who made his name coming up through the famed La Masia training academy at world giants Barcelona. Only a day prior to scoring a brace against the Tigers, Temenuzhkov made his first-team début coming off the bench for United’s 21 loss to QPR in the FA Cup.
The Bulgarian youth international has been tucking them away this season in the Under-23s. It is this threat that has driven him to the verges of the first team and caught the eye of Leeds’ new manager Marcelo Bielsa.
It will be interesting to see if Bielsa sees the FA Cup appearance as a one-off FA Cup game or whether it is an indication of a longer stint up ahead.
