During the international break, both Ilia Gruev and Glen Kamara got some much-needed game time with their respective countries.
Daniel Farke will have been delighted to see new signings Ilia Gruev and Glen Kamara get much-needed game time while on international duty. Normally, Farke could be forgiven for watching his Leeds United players in international action through his fingers, hoping they return to Thorp Arch unscathed.
In the case of Gruev and Kamara, however, the manager will have wanted to see them get as many minutes as possible to improve their sharpness and fitness. When they arrived at Elland Road on the final day of the transfer window, they were frantic for match practice.
Gruev had only played three competitive minutes for Werder Bremen, coming off the bench late to face Freiburg, while Kamara had not played at all for Rangers. To Farke’s satisfaction, both individuals have been highly involved for their respective countries over the last week, guaranteeing they’ll return to Thorp Arch ready to go as the German wants to make swift progress.
Gruev was unable to make his Leeds debut against Sheffield Wednesday due to visa complications, although he has played 90 minutes twice for Bulgaria in the last few days. His first appearance came in a friendly against Iran in Plovdiv before the Bulgarians’ dreams of qualifying for Euro 2024 were destroyed in Montenegro on Sunday with a Stefan Jovetic goal in the seventh minute of stoppage time handing them a 2-1 defeat in Podgorica.
Kamara didn’t get as many minutes with Finland, but he got more delight when he came off the bench in the 66th minute to lead his country to a 1-0 win over Kazakhstan in qualifying, ensuring their prospects of making the finals are still very much alive. Unfortunately, Kamara was unable to assist Finland improve on their win against Denmark on Sunday, as they fell 1-0 to their Scandinavian rivals, but he did get to play his first 90 minutes of the season.
The pair will now return to Leeds to join up with their new teammates and begin preparation for Sunday’s match against Millwall, and Farke will be feeling a lot more confident about their chances at The Den. However, the head coach may be less than pleased with Ethan Ampadu and Joe Rodon’s involvement with the Wales national team tonight.
Ampadu has played every minute of every game for Leeds this season, while Rodon has also been a crucial player since his arrival in mid-August, and Farke will be hoping that both men get through the qualifier against Latvia without incident. Rodon played the full 90 minutes for Wales against South Korea in a friendly last week, helping to keep Tottenham teammate Heung-min Son quiet, while Ampadu was substituted at half-time by Joe Morrell.
The Leeds manager will also be looking ahead to Italy’s match against Ukraine on Tuesday night, with Wilfried Gnonto in contention.
About The Author
Leave a Reply