Leeds United boss Marcelo Bielsa says Liam Cooper deserved selection for the derby defeat of Sheffield United.

Bielsa went with Cooper ahead of Pascal Struijk.

Bielsa reasoned, "Pascal played very well against Chelsea and Fulham but in the training this week I saw that Cooper was at his best.

"Cooper is the type of player who doesn't lose his sharpness even if he isn't able to train for one or two weeks and when we confirmed that it was still in this manner in the training sessions this week I opted for him.

"But the two games that Pascal played previously would have also made him deserving of continuing in the XI."