Liam Cooper update provided by Henrik Pedersen after Sheffield Wednesday's loss to Preston North End
Sheffield Wednesday boss Henrik Pedersen revealed Liam Cooper’s groin is “not good” after the defender was forced off against Preston North End.
The experienced centre-back, who previously served as Leeds United’s captain, was restored to the starting XI after shaking off an issue earlier in the week.
However, he lasted just 40 minutes at Deepdale before succumbing to an injury and having to be substituted.
The 34-year-old was replaced by Sean Fusire and Pedersen provided an update post-match.
Liam Cooper latest
He told The Star: “His groin is not good. He's a good example, he has played really, really well for us. He means a lot for us, he's a good leader, he's a good defender, but his left foot has also been really good in the build-up for us.
“But he has also played more than he should play in relation to his fitness when he came to the club. Let's see how long he's out, but it's not good.
“It's too early to say [how long he’ll be out for], he'll get a scan tomorrow and then we'll know more.”
Henrik Pedersen’s post-match thoughts
Preston took the lead through Ali McCann before extending their advantage with goals from Milutin Osmajic and Lewis Dobbin.
Pedersen said: “The performance up until the first goal was really good. Defensively we were well-organised. Offensively we had a good balance to play in, to play around, to play in behind, to run a little bit.
“After the first goal, it was important to get the rhythm back before [half-time] and it was still an equal game. In the second half, we were really getting into the game and then we conceded the second goal in transition.
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“There’s a reason why Preston are so high in the league. They are physical, a very strong team, really well-organised, [and they have] really good players so it was a tough day.
“Until the second goal, there was a lot of energy and a lot of belief but it’s tough to be 2-0 down to then bring the game back again. We didn’t have the energy to create big chances. We had the ball a lot but we didn’t create enough and this is what we’re working on.”