Eras change at football clubs and Leeds United are morphing into their next iteration with the departures of Marcelo Bielsa, Kalvin Phillips and Raphinha inside the last five months. Six key players are into their 30s too and with contracts creeping into their final two years, the club has to keep looking at its future outlook.
Captain Liam Cooper, 31 next month, is among a raft of players with a deal expiring in 2024, but he has no interest in slowing down any time soon. As he enters the final phase of his career, Cooper still feels he is learning every day at United.
Victor Orta’s summer rebuild has started to change the make-up of this Leeds squad and he will have to look at that senior sextet to assess who continues along for the ride as they approach their mid-30s. Cooper will be coming up to his 33rd birthday when his contract expires, so he knows he has to keep improving with the squad around him to retain his place.
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Pascal Struijk, Robin Koch, Diego Llorente and Charlie Cresswell are all younger centre-backs in the squad with real plans about staying put at Leeds. That’s proper competition for Cooper.
“I just want to improve, keep improving,” he said. “I still think I’m learning every single day. I still feel fit, I still feel strong and 30’s no age.
“I still believe I can play for the next five or six years at least. I look after myself. We’ve got great facilities, we’ve got great people around us, the doctors, the physios, everyone always helping us to be in tip-top condition.
“I feel amazing and on the pitch, I just want to help the lads out, try to get the best out of every single player, whether you’re a young lad, whether you’re an experienced lad. Drag each other to try to be successful.”
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