Speaking to Football Insider, former striker Darren Bent has said he would be concerned by Leeds United defender Liam Cooper’s “lapses in concentration” if they were to win promotion to the Premier League, with the Whites fighting for a place in the top flight.
Liam Cooper has been a mainstay in Leeds United’s side, performing strongly for Marcelo Bielsa’s side as skipper for the promotion-hunting Whites. However, one man who is not overly convinced is retired striker Darren Bent.
While acknowledging Cooper is a good leader that performs well the majority of the time, Bent has said that he could be a cause for concern if they were to win promotion to the Premier League. He said:
“Whenever I watch Cooper, he’s got that in him. I’ve seen him throughout the years always make mistakes, yeah he’s a good captain, a good leader and most of the time he plays really well. But every game there is a lapse in concentration, sometimes they get punished, sometimes they don’t.
“Sometimes he’ll try to force the ball into midfield with a pass, he gives it away. So for me…hmmm when it comes to Liam Cooper…I’m a little bit sceptical but he has been there a long time, he has played well at times, he is their captain so you obviously have to stick with him.
“But if Leeds have any aspirations of going up, these lapses in concentration would concern me. You can’t be making these mistakes, in the Championship, yeah you can get away with them but when in the Premier League, if you make mistakes like that, you’ll get punished.”
