Daniel Farke certainly dampened the celebrations following Leeds United’s magnificent 3-1 victory over Yorkshire rivals Sheffield United on Monday night.
Despite a night of unbridled joy in the Steel City, with Leeds coming from behind to win the Championship for the second time in a row, a post-match downpour put a damper on an Elland Road celebration.
Leeds captain Ethan Ampadu needs surgery, Farke confirmed, and will now miss much of the run-in with his second ‘big injury’ of the campaign.
Fortunately, Leeds United’s current squad is strong enough to withstand the loss of one crucial player. After all, Joe Rodon and Pascal Struijk would be starters in the majority, if not all, Championship teams.
Meanwhile, in Bulgaria, the man Ampadu replaced as Farke’s captain this summer is dealing with his own injury setback.
Liam Cooper missed 23 games for both club and country during his final two seasons with Leeds. And it looks that, at 33, the experienced center-back is no longer as durable as he once was.
Any readers nearing their fourth decade will definitely feel Cooper’s literal sorrow.
Former Leeds United captain Liam Cooper suffers an unfortunate blow in Bulgaria.
Liam Cooper had a ‘amazing’ influence after relocating to Bulgaria in the summer.
Cooper, a natural-born ‘leader’, took over as captain almost immediately after signing with CSKA Moscow, according to the club’s assistant manager Konstantin Mirchev.
Furthermore, their performance with and without him in the first half of the campaign speaks for itself. A 46% win rate with Cooper on the team and a 30% win rate without him.
CKSA, probably Bulgaria’s biggest and most successful club, stood on the verge of relegation barely a year after finishing third. That was until Cooper made his imprint, with an eight-game unbeaten streak propelling them out of the relegation zone and into the relative safety of mid-table.
However, whether CSKA can maintain their current turnaround – or fall back into the mud – will depend on how soon Cooper recovers from an injury that has kept him out of action since before the turn of the year.
In what Bulgarian publication Gol describe as a ‘huge problem’, Cooper is still training individually and is yet to return
The 2020 Championship champion was ruled out of Wednesday’s cup clash with Arda Kardzhali and is also a doubt to face bitter rivals Levski Sofia this weekend.
Daniel Farke confirms Ethan Ampadu has suffered a ‘big injury’
As for Ampadu, Farke fears that his most trusted lieutenant may now face a race against time to play a key role in the final 12 games of the Championship campaign.
The coach confirms that his Wales international will require surgery, with further information about the extent of his injury expected to emerge during Farke’s press conference on Thursday.
“It is a bit too early to assess it,” Farke said after that Bramall Lane triumph.
“Looks like a cartilage injury and looking like he will need surgery. It’s too soon to give a timeframe. It depends on how [the surgery] works. He will definitely not be available for the upcoming weeks. It’s a big blow for us.
“What are the chances of two big injuries in one season [for Ampadu] after not missing a minute last season?”
