Here are the latest Leeds United evening headlines on Friday, 26 August.
Lage on Hwang
Wolverhampton Wanderers manager Bruno Lage has admitted there is a possibility Hwang Hee-chan could leave before the window closes. Leeds United are reportedly keen on a deal for the South Korea international who has worked under Jesse Marsch twice before.
Wolvers are looking to bolster their options in attack before next week’s deadline and that could leave the door open for Hwang to leave. Speaking in his pre-match press conference, Lage believes there will be some outgoings in the coming days.
He said: "Anything can happen. We'll decide what is best for the club and players. I think so (they'll be outgoings and incomings)."
READ MORE: Pundits predictions for Leeds United's trip to Brighton as tight clash predicted
Marsch on Cooper
Jesse Marsch has described Liam Cooper as the best leader he has come across during his time in the sport. The Leeds United skipper made his return to action on Wednesday night after missing pre-season and the opening three Premier League weekends with a niggling Achilles issue.
However, he isn’t expected to start the game against the Seagulls with Marsch set to stick with Diego Llorente and Robin Koch in the heart of defence. The pair have started the season well at Elland Road and produced eye-catching displays during the club’s last league outing against Chelsea by keeping the likes of Raheem Sterling and Kai Havertz quiet to keep a clean sheet.
The partnership of Llorente and Koch may prove difficult to break into for Cooper and the Scotland international could be forced to bide his time before an opportunity arises. However, Marsch is confident that Cooper can still make an impact, whether he’s in the side or not.
“Liam is going to play a big role in the team no matter what, but, yeah, Diego and Robin have done really well. I told Liam even before we put him on the pitch, he hadn't trained much before this match and it was the same when he came back from his injury in the spring and when he came back again the second time after he picked up a little knee injury.”
Read more here.
Predicted XI
If you were ever going to put your house on Leeds United remaining unchanged, this seems to be the weekend to do it. Jesse Marsch reported no new injuries in Thursday’s press conference, which means he is expected to retain faith in the 11 players who delivered the finest performance of his tenure.
Liam Cooper, Patrick Bamford or Luis Sinisterra seem to be the only men remotely capable of forcing a change and they all have reasons to be left on the bench. Cooper may be the captain and a vital voice on the pitch, but he has played 45 minutes since early June.
Click here to see the XI.
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