Scotland boss offers fresh Liam Cooper update after Leeds United captain's Euro 2024 injury scare

Scotland manager Steve Clarke has allayed initial fears of a serious injury to Liam Cooper after the Leeds United captain was forced off with a knee issue during Monday’s 2-0 win over Gibraltar.

Scotland kicked off their Euro 2024 preparations with a warm-up friendly against UEFA minnows Gibraltar in the Algarve, with Cooper starting on the bench before being introduced at half-time. But a nasty collision kept the 32-year-old down mid-way through the second-half and after receiving medical attention on the pitch, he was replaced by Scott McKenna.

Walking around the pitch, a concerned looking Cooper limped heavily which fuelled fears he could have suffered a serious knee injury, therefore making him a doubt for this summer’s European Championships, which kicks off in just 10 days. But after initial worry, head coach Clarke believes the issue is not as bad as first feared and Cooper will be assessed in the next 48 hours.

"I s*** myself," Clarke admitted of seeing Cooper down. "You get a collision and you get some who try to pull the wool over the referee's eyes, but Liam doesn't stay down very often. I was trying to get a message down - obviously I watched the game from higher up - I was trying to get a message down to the bench saying 'any doubt, get him off'. That's what we did. I spoke to him straight after the game, it looks like a knee-on-knee collision, sore for a couple of days. Fingers crossed it should be fine."

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Scotland host Finland at Hampden Park in their second and final warm-up friendly on Friday, and so Clarke will likely be able to provide a clearer update on Cooper ahead of that game. They then kick-off Euro 2024 against hosts Germany a week on Friday and so any serious issue would likely rule Cooper out, although the picture looks more promising than it did when he initially came off.

Cooper is not the only Leeds player to pick up a post-season injury, with midfielder Glen Kamara pulling out of the Finland squad for their upcoming friendlies. On-loan pair Joe Rodon and Connor Roberts also withdrew from the Wales squad for games against Gibraltar and Slovakia, although the reasons are unknown.

Ethan Ampadu and Dan James do look set to feature for Rob Page’s side, with the former in line to captain his nation in the absence of Aaron Ramsay and vice captain Ben Davies. The senior pair will be joined by 17-year-old Charlie Crew, who could earn a first international cap before making his first-team debut at Leeds.

Ilia Gruev has joined up with the Bulgaria squad for two friendlies, albeit none of Wales, Finland or Bulgaria have a place in Euro 2024 anyway. There will be plenty of Leeds representation when it comes to those currently out on loan, however, with Rasmus Kristensen (Denmark) and Max Wober (Austria) named in their respective provisional squads.