AN imposing centre-half will lead out Leeds United in front of a parochial five-figure crowd at Elland Road on Friday – but on this occasion it will be Charlie Cresswell and not Liam Cooper.

The former captains Leeds Under-23s on a big night in their bid to retain their Premier League 2 status against Manchester City on an occasion when United are seeking to make history by recording the biggest-ever attendance for a game at this level.

Cresswell is viewed by many as a potential heir apparent to Cooper in the long term and his leadership as one of the ‘senior’ players in the Under-23 ranks will be called upon tomorrow.

Cresswell, captain of the Under-23s side who went unbeaten on home soil during their title-winning PL2 Division Two campaign last term, said: “Obviously I look up to Coops; I think most people in the academy and even the club look up to Coops because he’s such a good captain and such a good role model.

Leeds United's Charlie Cresswell. Picture Tony Johnson

placeholder image — Leeds United's Charlie Cresswell. Picture Tony Johnson

“So, if I can take little bits from Coops and what he does every day, and what he does to better himself and better the team as a collective, I think I can take that into my role and try to do that with my team and my team-mates and help them.”

Leeds officials are hopeful of a bumper crowd in the region of 17,000 in their final PL2 home match of the campaign.

The record attendance for a PL2 fixture stands at 17,525. It was set during Everton Under-23s’ Merseyside derby with Liverpool in May 2017.

Cresswell said: “When we play at Elland Road, having the fans is massive for us [Under-23s players] and will be on Friday night and it will really push the lads on.

“It’s an experience [young] footballers have got to get at some point in their career.

“Obviously it’s really important [crowd attendance], but we’re focused on our job and doing our job right.”