MIDFIELDER Lewis Cook admitted he would be “happy” to see his former club Leeds United return to the Premier League – but believed they would want to seal promotion on the pitch.

The England international completed a £7million move from Elland Road to Cherries in July 2016 and has since gone on to play 68 times at England’s elite level.

Having come through the academy at Leeds, Cook represented his boyhood club 85 times in the first team, scoring two goals.

The Yorkshire outfit currently find themselves top of the Championship with football shut down due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Reports last month surfaced that a 22-team Premier League could have been an option for next season – promoting Leeds and second-placed West Brom.

But with the leagues now keen to complete the current campaign, Cook believes Leeds would want promotion on the field.

He told the Daily Echo: “I think that’s where they belong – in the Premier League.

“I don’t know if they would want to go up that way (with a 22-team league). I think they would want to play the rest of the season and go up as champions probably - because they were on course to do that.

“I would be happy for Leeds to be in the Premier League but we will see what happens.”