Here is your Leeds United morning digest on Wednesday, March 17.
Clarke drops Cooper fitness hint
Scotland boss Steve Clarke appears to have ruled Liam Cooper out of Leeds United’s Premier League match against Fulham on Friday.
Cooper missed Leeds’ 0-0 draw against Chelsea on Saturday because he was “sick”, according to Marcelo Bielsa, and has since been omitted from Scotland's squad for fixtures against Austria, Israel and the Faroe Islands in the upcoming international break at the end of March.
Clarke confirmed that he spoke with the Leeds captain and ruled him out of the first two matches, with some supporters speculating that his absence could be linked to COVID-19.
“He's not available for the games," Clarke told Sky Sports News on Tuesday.
"I spoke to Liam. He could maybe have been available for the third game but it's not going to happen. We had a good chat about it and decided to go with the ones I've picked."
Costa switches international allegiances
Leeds midfielder Helder Costa has switched his international allegiance from Portugal to Angola.
The 27-year-old has appeared for Portugal at every age group from Under-16 to the senior national team, but his solitary Portugal cap - in which he scored - came in a non-competitive fixture.
That means Costa is eligible for another country and he has chosen to represent Angola, having been born in Luanda, the country's capital, before he moved to Portugal at a young age and joined Benfica's famed Seixal academy aged 10.
Angola have two Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers against Gabon and Gambia on March 25 and March 29 respectively, meaning Leeds will soon be without him.
Llorente unhappiness claims debunked
Reports from Spain yesterday suggested Leeds defender Diego Llorente is unhappy at Elland Road following his summer move from Real Sociedad.
The claim, made by El Gol Digital, cited his lack of time on the pitch as a key factor in Llorente's supposed unhappiness and said Real Betis could offer the 27-year-old a home at the end of the season.
LeedsLive understands these reports are wide of the mark and he has not, as reported, been “ostracised by Marcelo Bielsa.”
Llorente has been injured for the vast majority of the season and has impressed since coming into the side over the past month.
The centre-back has been recalled to Spain’s squad for the upcoming World Cup qualifiers at the end of March and is happy with his standing in Bielsa’s squad.
