Reporter Dean Jones has described Leeds United duo Patrick Bamford and Liam Cooper’s return to full fitness as a ‘massive boost’ for Jesse Marsch.

The Lowdown: U21 run out

Both Bamford and Cooper missed large parts of the previous season trough injury and have struggled to feature regularly during the current campaign.

Bamford has started just two Premier League games, whereas Cooper’s only appearance came in the Carabao Cup against Barnsley.

However, the pair both started for the U21s against Southampton last week in a 6-2 win at Elland Road, with Bamford netting a hat-trick and Cooper completing 90 minutes.

The Latest: Jones’ comments

Talking to GiveMeSport, Jones said that having Bamford and Cooper back after the international break will be a ‘massive boost for Marsch’.

“Getting those players some minutes under the belts will come as a massive boost for Marsch, who has had a few injury problems that were starting to hit the squad in the last couple of weeks as well.”

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The Verdict: Starts vs Villa?

Leeds were last in action on September 3 so should be raring to go when they host Aston Villa on October 2. You’d like to think that Bamford and Cooper will be fit enough to feature in the match-day squad for that match, especially after they featured for the U21s last week.

Bamford played 45 minutes in the defeat to Brentford, so he could well feature from the off, whereas Cooper may even come in for Diego Llorente, as Phil Hay has predicted.