UNITED PRE-SEASON FOR COOK

UNITED PRE-SEASON FOR COOK

Midfielder to miss U19s Euros in order to work with United...

Garry Monk has confirmed that Lewis Cook will remain with United over the summer amid concerns the midfielder would miss the majority of pre-season at the Under-19s European Championships with England.

If selected for next month’s showpiece tournament in Germany, for which Cook played a key part in securing the Young Lions’ qualification, the 19-year-old could have returned from international duty with just over a week remaining before the start of the new Sky Bet Championship campaign.

However, following discussions with Cook’s England U19s boss Aidy Boothroyd, Monk has moved to keep the youngster at Thorp Arch, where he feels the midfielder will benefit from working closely with United’s new coaching team in preparation for the new season.

“It was a very difficult decision for myself,” the head coach explained. “I spoke to Lewis and told him how important he is to this team and for the project going forward.

“I just felt that to miss him for pretty much the whole of pre-season would be detrimental to the player and detrimental to myself and the team.

“I took the decision. Talking to the player, I made him very aware of the reasons why and he fully understood.

“I spoke to Aidy Boothroyd, the manager of England for his age group, and he understood. Of course, they wanted Lewis to be there with them but it’s a decision that I’ve had to take.

“I’ll play the villain in this but it was for the right reasons – England understand that and Lewis understands that. I think it’s what’s best for us going forward.”

Monk was also wary of the amount of game time Cook has played since his first-team breakthrough two years ago, with the midfielder once again featuring prominently last term and ending the season with 47 appearances to his name in all competitions.

“Another part of it is the amount of football he’s played for such a young lad,” Monk added. “You have to protect the player as well.

“I’ve never stopped a player playing for his country, it’s one of the best things you can achieve in your career. But this is a unique situation and it’ll probably never happen again.

“Had Lewis already worked for me for 12 months, I’d have been quite happy for him to go there because he’d know how I work and what I want to put in place.

“Because he doesn’t have that idea, it’s very crucial that he’s here and he’s getting that information straightaway from day one.

“It’s not an easy thing to accept but he was great with it. He understood the reasons why and he agrees with my decision and understands that he needs to be here.

“England’s a big thing for him and I think I can help develop him even further and make him an even better player for England. That’s my aim and for him to be an even better player for Leeds United, which is the most important thing.”

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