Leeds United captain Liam Cooper on why rest is so vital ahead of another testing Premier League campaign

Ninth in the Premier League when they returned after a 16-year absence, like Sheffield United, Leeds found they were unable to follow it up. Unlike the Blades, they were not relegated but they came perilously close, only surviving with a final-day victory at Brentford. One casualty was Marcelo Bielsa, a hugely popular coach on the terraces and in the dressing room even at the time of his sacking in February.

Cooper, whose season was extended by Scotland’s World Cup qualifying play-off versus Ukraine and a Nations League appearances against Armenia before leaving the camp to get married, was back at Leeds Beckett University for pre-season testing yesterday.

“It was important to have a good rest and rest the legs obviously, but rest the mind a little bit as well because it was certainly a stressful season at times,” said the Hull-born captain, who missed three months either side of the new year with hamstring problems. “It took a lot out of us both physically and mentally.

“It’s nice to let your hair down, get married and enjoy the off-time but it’s down to work now. We’ve got another tough season coming up. We’re playing in the best league in the world and we’ve got to be at our best to do well in this league.

“Last season was a struggle but in our first season (in the Premier League) we finished ninth, our first season back, and I think we’ve definitely got to aim for top half (next season). I definitely think as a group we’re capable of that and then push on from there.

“We believe in ourselves and we’ve got to get that belief back. It took a knock at times last season.

“It was a stressful season but that’s gone now. We’ve got to be optimistic and aim as high as we can.”

American Jesse Marsch was brought in because of the similarities in the intense pressing he and Bielsa employed but there are considerable differences of style too, and this summer is about creating a squad better suited to his. Compatriot Brenden Aaronson, holding midfielder Marc Roca and right-back Rasmus Kristensen – like Aaronson, one of Marsch’s former Salzburg players – have joined and more are set to follow after Kalvin Phillips’s £45m move to Manchester City went through yesterday.

Leeds are interested in Feyenoord’s Colombian winger Luis Sinisterra in the expectation Raphinha will leave in this window, Marsch’s former New York Red Bulls and Leipzig player Tyler Adams is a target to replace Phillips, and Leeds are one of the clubs interested in Brugge striker Charles de Ketelaere.

“The club is going to rebuild, I think,” said Cooper. “Jesse’s got his own ideas.

“I think he’ll be the first to tell you that we didn’t quite produce what he wanted to at the end of last season, but I think that was as a result of the situation he was in, it was difficult. It would be difficult for any manager to change the way we played just like that.

“But the boys did well, we picked up the points we needed to and there was a lot of pressure going into that last game. I think we showed what we’re about.

“We turned up on the day, got the points required and sealed our position in the league for another year. We don’t ever want to be in that situation again.

“A lot of people mentioned ‘second season syndrome’ (where a club or player fails to reproduce an outstanding breakthrough campaign) – I don’t really believe in that. You could put (Leeds’s season) down to that but I think we had more than enough to be successful in the league last season. For whatever reason, we couldn’t quite get there.

“When your back is against the wall, it’s hard to come up with it and you can’t just flick it on like a light switch. So we need to start well this season.”

Leeds play their first pre-season friendly against Blackpool at York’s Community Stadium on Thursday before heading to Australia for their pre-season tour.

“Jesse’s come in and he likes to play the 4-2-2-2,” commented Cooper.

“It does work for us. Maybe we’ve not had the right players at times to do that but Jesse’s brought in top-quality players.

“Jesse’s brilliant at what he does and he’s a great coach. I’m sure he’ll drill those ideas into us and when we start the season we’ll know exactly what we’re doing.

“On his first day I said you’re coming into an unbelievable group who are willing to learn and we’re sponges, we can take a lot of information on and adapt to various situations. So I’d say as a group, we’re probably a manager’s dream.

“I’ve got nothing but respect for Jesse and his staff and also the lads as well for taking on everything that’s been asked.”