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‘Definitely right up there’: Cooper says Leeds have three youngsters who are ‘going to go a very long way’
Liam Cooper has picked out three Leeds United youngsters he believes have the potential to become future captains of the club – .
Cooper has been an outstanding leader during his time at Elland Road. It certainly says a lot that he has kept the armband under a number of different managers and head coaches.
The 30-year-old is arguably playing some of the best football of his Leeds spell this term – despite the team struggling. So there is no reason to believe that his successor will need to emerge anytime soon.
The likes of Luke Ayling and Stuart Dallas have worn the armband in Cooper’s absence. But the Scotland international has also picked out a young trio he believes all have the capabilities to lead the team in the future.
“Charlie [Cresswell] is definitely right up there,” . “Pascal [Struijk] has got it in him. He’s not the loudest but he sets a good example. There’s Joffy (Joe Gelhardt).
“They’ve all got a lot of character and they’re all going to go a very long way with Leeds. The potential is there. It’s just consistency at that age.”
Charlie Cresswell a safe bet to be a future Leeds captain, while Liam Cooper picking out Pascal Struijk or Joe Gelhardt may surprise some
Cresswell has frequently captained the under-23s in the past. He also won a lot of plaudits for the way he handled his full emergence into the first-team fold this season.
Cooper picking out Struijk and Gelhardt may come as a surprise to some however.
In fairness, Gelhardt looks to be totally unfazed by anything that happens to him. He was outstanding at times on his full Premier League debut at the weekend.
And it is easy to overlook how impressive Struijk has been. He went into last season having never started a game for Leeds at centre-back.
Not only is he now the brightest centre-back prospect within the squad, but he is also staking a claim for the left-back spot with his last couple of performances.
The three players all have the potential to really lead by example in the years to come.