Leeds United head coach Garry Monk is hoping to give Gaetano Berardi a few minutes against Atalanta this weekend and has confirmed that Liam Cooper will be back in training next week.
Berardi struggled with his fitness last season and suffered another injury towards the end of the campaign, which means it has been a disruptive pre-season for him ahead of the new term.
However, the Italian recently returned to training under Monk, as Berardi hopes to get back in shape and in-sync with his team as soon as possible.
Monk feels it will take some time to build up Berardi’s fitness again, but is hoping to use him for a few minutes against Atalanta this weekend at Elland Road.
He also added that defender Cooper will be back in training next week after recovering from his injury.
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When asked about Berardi, the Leeds boss told LUTV: “Yes, he [Berardi] is back out in training today, so that’s a good positive sign.
“He will need a few more training sessions, but hopefully he will get a few minutes this weekend.
“And Coops should be back on the grass next week, which should be another positive.”
In a final pre-season game, Leeds will take on Serie A’s Atalanta at Elland Road this weekend.
