Sam Allardyce has revealed Marc Roca is suffering with a ‘tendon injury’ ahead of Leeds United’s trip to West Ham but Liam Cooper is ‘back in training’.
The Leeds boss was speaking in his pre-match press conference on Friday morning ahead of the trip to the London Stadium on Sunday.
Leeds enter the game knowing a win is paramount to their chances of survival as they sit 18th in the table and a point adrift of Everton in safety.
Ahead of their final day clash with Tottenham Hotspur, the Whites will be looking to ensure they have safety in their own hands by the end of the weekend.
Allardyce reveals Roca injury but Cooper returns
Allardyce did not confirm whether Roca would be fit enough to play a part in the capital but a tendon injury could see him miss out.
The 26-year-old was an unused substitute in last weekend’s draw with Newcastle United anyway, with Adam Forshaw, Robin Koch and Sam Greenwood all seemingly ahead of him.
The return of Cooper to the squad is huge news for Leeds, particularly with Junior Firpo out through suspension and Allardyce’s options at the back looking stretched.
Allardyce said: “There’s only Dallas, Adams, Sinisterra. Cooper is back in training and Roca has a tendon injury.
“We’ve been talking about who to play or perhaps changing the system. We have to pick a system to suit the team that’s available.”
It is good to hear that Cooper is expected to be fit for Sunday’s game with Leeds usually a much more organised defensive outfit with him in the side.
That said, it is interesting to hear Allardyce mulling over a potential formation change given 4-5-1 has worked fairly well, though he may be looking to add more attacking threat to his side after facing two of the division’s top three so far.