Leeds United captain Liam Cooper has wished Dominic Matteo well after the former Whites defender had surgery on a brain tumour.

The 45-year-old spent four years at Elland Road earlier in his career and was a fans favourite for some of the performances he put in, particularly in the Champions League during what was a successful time for the club.

His important, memorable goal against AC Milan at the San Siro is still sung about by the support to this day, so it's fair to say that this news has hit all those connected to the club hard.

The Scotsman's popularity is evident by the number of messages that have come his way, with current skipper Cooper taking to Twitter this afternoon after he heard the news too.

"Pull through Dom, thinking of you mate."

It had been confirmed that Matteo had an operation on Monday and has thankfully since come out of intensive care.

As well as featuring for Leeds, the left-sided defender featured for Liverpool, Sunderland, Blackburn and Stoke during a 17-year career, with most of his appearances coming for the Anfield club.

The verdict

This was awful news for Matteo and it goes without saying that everyone hopes he can get through this.

The support he has had from Leeds, and the football community as a whole, shows just how well thought of he is and everyone will be hoping his condition improves.

All Leeds fans will echo the message from Cooper who was right to send that message given he is the captain of the club.