Leeds United chooses a club captain whose contract is up for renewal in the summer.

Leeds United, who now sits fourth in the Championship, is hoping to return to Premier League action as soon as possible this year. It is unclear if Daniel Farke’s team can create a significant effort to try to unseat Ipswich Town from second place in the Championship since they are presently comfortably inside the top six slots.

Due to injury, 32-year-old Cooper has only appeared in 12 second-tier games this season. Cooper is an experienced center back.

After moving to Elland Road in 2014, the former Chesterfield player has supported the team through good times and bad. He was instrumental in their eventual promotion back to the top division and their two-season stay there.

Though Phil Hay of The Athletic reports that he will remain at the club past this month, it appears that a choice has been made. His contract expires in the summer, and there had been whispers that he might not be offered a new one.

Luke Ayling, a fellow veteran Leeds United player, left for Middlesbrough last week, and it appears the team is starting a new era in their history. One which strongly emphasizes on youth.

Although Cooper’s injury history and current lack of playing time indicate that this was not an easy decision to make, it appears to be the right one for all sides.

Whether it’s this month or in the summer, Leeds United will need to grow their roster. They do, however, currently have a lot of potential and the makings of an extremely exciting young side.

Farke and the team have big things ahead of them in the coming months, starting with this Sunday’s matchup against Preston North End.