Leeds boss Jesse Marsch confirms two key man are back from long-term injuries
Neither Phillips nor Cooper has played since December, both limping out of the 2-2 draw with Brentford at Elland Road over three months ago.
The England midfielder has been out with a thigh injury, while the Scotland defender has had a hamstring problem.
Much has changed at the club since then, with Marsch replacing Marcelo Bielsa as manager and battling against a return to the Championship, but the American is delighted to have the two men at his disposal for the first time.
Marsch gave a detailed injury update at a press conference on Thursday, also confirming the situations with Junior Firpo, Tyler Roberts, Joe Gelhardt, Lewis Bate, Leo Fuhr Hjelde and Jamie Shackleton.
‘Junior has an MCL, they think it’s not so bad, it’s a little bit lighter Grade 2, so from the date of injury maybe three-to-five weeks,’ said Marsch.
‘Tyler had a successful surgery we already talked about. Liam and Kalvin are fully in training and are eligible for this weekend. So we’ll make a decision today exactly what we do with that and what the plan will be.
‘Joffy [Joe Gelhardt] has a little bit of a back issue. That’s why he didn’t play the 23s game. And we think that he’ll be ready for the match, but we’re not totally certain.
‘Lewis Bate and Jamie Shackleton both picked up injuries in that match so they might not be available and Leo [Hjelde] is actually doing quite well, and we’re hopeful that next week or at the end of next week, he might be in training. So that’ll be important for us to have another option in the back.’
On the significance of having Phillips and Cooper back – two players who were crucial in Leeds’ success last season – Marsch added: ‘I spoke with both of them and I said listen obviously it’s a big boost for those two personally but I think the the presence that they have in our team, that it’s a big, positive momentum swing for us as a group.
‘They’re both quality players. They’re both great personalities and and I think that it’ll make us stronger and stronger. So like I said, we’ll see exactly what the plan was and how many minutes they can play or what it will be. But just having them back in training is big.’
Wolves go to Leeds at 8pm on Friday with Marsch’s side four points and two places above the relegation zone.
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