With Ethan Ampadu filling in at centre-back against Cardiff City on Saturday, Ilia Gruev was given his third league start of the season in the Leeds United midfield.
The 23-year-old Bulgarian impressed in Cardiff, ending as the game’s most accurate passer (for 45 minutes or more) and becoming involved in a tight midfield duel.
However, Daniel Farke has confessed that Ampadu is the “only problem” in giving Gruev more time on the pitch, with the 49-cap Wales international becoming unstoppable under Farke at Elland Road.
Ampadu and Glen Kamara have forged one of the Championship’s most fearsome midfield pairings, guiding the Whites to fourth place in the league, seven points behind Ipswich Town for the second automatic promotion berth.
The former Chelsea player, who had a number of loan spells before settling in West Yorkshire, is the only serious challenge to Gruev’s chances of success at Elland Road, which should alarm the Bulgarian.
“The only issue was playing in the central midfield position so far because Ethan Ampadu has been one of the standout performers, and this is exactly the position where we’ve never had problems,” he told the Yorkshire Evening Post following the Cardiff City win.
“Ilia has had a very long wait. He played a few games at the number eight position, which was not his natural position, as well as some challenging away games. Even in those games, I was satisfied with his workload.”
Despite being a big supporter of Gruev, Ampadu and Kamara’s performances, as well as their experience, could jeopardise his career at Leeds.
Since arriving to Elland Road in the summer, the 23-year-old has only made 13 appearances, starting four times and being substituted in the final minute six times.
There is still optimism that Gruev can turn things around at Leeds. But with little possibility of moving up the pecking order, his stay at the club may already be at peril.
He may have been given an opportunity against Cardiff on Saturday, but it was more due to availability than anything else, since Farke only had one genuine centre-back at his disposal.
The manager will not want to make it a habit to remove Ampadu from the midfield, so Gruev will have limited opportunities going forward. Could a loan be the best option for the Bulgaria international? Only time will tell.
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