Mistakes do happen and Leeds United’s players are only human, but Liam Cooper insists no guards have been dropped at Thorp Arch amid the coronavirus pandemic.
The Whites suffered the first direct COVID-19 blow to their fixture schedule yesterday as next week’s match with Southampton was shunted back to a later date.
On this occasion, it was an outbreak among League One Shrewsbury Town’s squad which postponed the weekend FA Cup tie with the Saints and thus knocked on into United’s plans.
However, it is clear the virus is more rampant than it has ever been among football squads from the Premier League downwards.
The Whites, though they will not comment publicly on positive cases at Thorp Arch, must have also felt the full effects of the virus, whether it be among players or non-playing staff.
With scrutiny on footballers and their transgressions during a matchday in front of the cameras at an all-time high, Cooper has lifted the lid on the current situation.
While he admits errors have been made, he has reiterated the foot has not been taken off the pedal with the restrictions in place on how they train every day.
“First hand, we see every day how good Rishi (Dhand, club doctor) and Rob (Price, head of medicine and performance) and Jamie (O’Shea, doctor) stick to the protocols,” he told LUTV.
“We’re human, it’s hard not to make mistakes sometimes, but all in all, as a club we’ve been different class.
“We’re still not eating, or anything like that, together, just simple stuff like that. The masks around the training ground have got to be done.
“The club, as a whole, has dealt very, very well with it and we’ll stick to that.
“Obviously, the positive cases are there in your face at the moment. It’s definitely at its highest now and I just hope everybody stays safe and look after each other.
“I know it’s a difficult time, but we’re all in this together and we’ve got to pull through and I do believe, 100 per cent, better days are coming.”
