During his first month at Leeds United, Ilia Gruev has struggled to find game time.
Daniel Farke is content to be patient with Ilia Gruev as he eases the midfielder into Leeds United action. Gruev joined the Whites from Werder Bremen on the final day of the transfer window to improve Farke’s midfield options, but he has struggled to find regular playing time.
The Bulgaria international was ineligible to make his debut against Sheffield Wednesday at the start of September, but he came on as a substitute in the 89th minute against Millwall following the international break. Last Saturday, he made a similarly brief debut against Watford, replacing Glen Kamara as stoppage time approached in a 3-0 victory.
As a result, Leeds supporters have yet to gain a sense of their new midfielder, who can also play as a centre-back and spent time there during his previous term with the national team. Farke, on the other hand, is not in a hurry to start Gruev, especially given the form of the three players ahead of him in the midfield pecking order.
Kamara, who joined Leeds on the same day as Gruev, Ethan Ampadu, and Archie Gray have all caught the eye for the Whites, and while their form makes it difficult for Farke to find opportunities for the 23-year-old, he has been impressed with what he has seen so far.
“I think it’s something different for each and every player when you come to the motherland of football because our approach here, our physicality in this league is also second to none,” Farke said ahead of Leeds’ match against Southampton. “The speed, pace, and physicality of the game are always new for players who come from Germany, France, or Spain, and so it’s always normal that you need some time.”
“In terms of language, he’s quite fluent in English, which is quite impressive, but it always takes a while to understand really each and every football phrase and technical term.” He’s a great player, and I’m quite delighted with him.
“He played a lot of Bundesliga games and is a regular starter for the Bulgaria national team.” He’s a quality player, and it’s no surprise that he was involved, at least in the last minutes of the previous game, but in his position, Ethan Ampadu, Archie Gray, and Glen Kamara are all having strong seasons.
“It’s not like an urgent case, an emergency case, where we’re pushed to throw him into the mix too soon.” So I much prefer this situation in which he can be absorbed gradually, but I know that anytime I need him, he’s always ready to go, and he’s a top class, humble guy. fairly, fairly glad that he works for such a wonderful club, and despite having an excellent CV for such a young person, I am more than delighted with Ilia at the moment.”
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