Marcelo Bielsa admits he has a Leeds selection headache for Burnley clash

Marcelo Bielsa admits skipper Liam Cooper’s return has given him a selection headache for Leeds’ clash with Burnley.

Cooper is fit again after missing Leeds’ last four games because of a three-match suspension and then injury.

Pascal Struijk has performed admirably in Cooper’s absence since he was sent off at Manchester City and Leeds have enjoyed their best run of the season without him.

Their 10 men won at City, while they also beaten Tottenham and drawn with Liverpool and Manchester United.

Bielsa values Cooper highly because of his defensive and leadership qualities, but admits it is not a straight-forward decision to bring back the Scotland centre-half.

Liam Cooper is available again (Getty Images)

“I understand your question and I also ask myself this question,” said the Leeds boss.

“Pascal has had very good performances and Cooper is our captain, who has also had great performances, but over a long period of time.

“Both cases are valid. This sudden appearance of Pascal and everything Cooper has done establishes a big difference because to play well is possible for a player, but to play well over a long period of time is very difficult.

“As you can see, I can’t give you a concrete response because I also don’t have a clear idea.

“What is ideal for any one position is to have more than one option because this improves Pascal, improves Cooper and improves Leeds.”

Marcelo Bielsa says it adds to Leeds' prestige if they are praised for their style (PA)

Bielsa has won much praise for Leeds because of their entertaining style to consign to the history books the old ‘dirty Leeds’ tag.

He says being appreciated matters because this is how a club builds prestige.

“It’s very common for human beings to say they don’t care what people think,” he said.

“For me, it’s very important because prestige depends on this.

“You have to look at who has these opinions and the arguments they base their opinions on and praise badly founded doesn’t generate satisfaction.

“Critics with no valid argument does not produce sadness, so the opinion of others does matter for me.

“Fundamentally, I care what the people close to us think because the sentiment they have acts like a light.”