Leeds United defender Liam Cooper says he is confident he and his teammates will be as fit as ever when the football season eventually resumes.

Marcelo Bielsa's side are currently top of the Championship table, seven points clear of third-placed Fulham with nine games of the season still to be played at some point, after seeing their push for promotion halted by the global Coronavirus outbreak.

As a result of the current situation, Leeds' players, like those at clubs up and down the country and beyond, are being forced to train at home, although Cooper believes that is not something that will have a negative effect on their fitness when things do get back underway, whenever that may be.

Speaking to Sky Sports about the position they find themselves in, Cooper said: "This is totally out of anyone's control, it is what it is and the lads at the club are professional lads.

"We know the scenario we are in and we've got to be ready when we come back to hit those levels again that we reached in the previous six games before this."

Discussing the mentality he and his teammates will be taking when the season begins again, the Scotland international continued: "We say it a lot but we have got to keep each game going one at a time and what will be at the end of the season will be.

"But it won't be for the lack of trying or coming back unfit or out of shape because that won't be an excuse for us because we will definitely be in shape." 

The Verdict

Cooper's confidence here is certainly encouraging for those associated with Leeds.

With it looking as though the season will be completed with a large number of games being completed in a short space of time, teams are going to have to be in peak physical condition to overcome that challenge.

It seems as though that is something Leeds' players are backing themselves to be capable of doing, and it would be little surprise if that was in part, thanks to the notoriously high fitness standards set by manager Marcelo Bielsa in training, which look as though they may be about to pay off here.