Gabriel Gudmundsson: Swedish media compliment Leeds United star despite World Cup loss vs France
Gabriel Gudmundsson was a cut above his Sweden teammates as the Leeds United defender started against France on Tuesday.
Didier Deschamps' team knocked the Blue and Yellow out of the World Cup's last 32 with a 3-0 win at the New Jersey Stadium on 30 June.
The Whites' left-back will return to LS11 later than his teammates, with pre-season training scheduled to begin in the first week of July.
Despite France dominating Sweden, Gudmundsson was one of the few players from the Scandinavian nation to hold his own against the likes of Ousmane Dembele, Kylian Mbappe and Michael Olise.
Swedish media haven't been kind about their players' lacklustre display in America, but the West Yorkshire outfit's defender was an example for his compatriots to follow.
The 27-year-old started in every World Cup game for Graham Potter, playing as a wing-back and as one of the three centre-backs, but his journey in North America has come to an end.
Gabriel Gudmundsson does Leeds United proud in France vs Sweden
Mbappe opened the scoring for France just before the break with an impressive strike, before Bradley Barcola scored another at the start of the second half.
The Real Madrid star and Olise were hard for Gustaf Lagerbielke and Victor Lindelof to contain, as the ex-Paris Saint-Germain striker scored the third in the 74th minute.
Despite Sweden shipping three goals, Gudmundsson put in a solid display and set the standards with a 3/5 rating, as Expressen wrote, "It's no longer possible to be surprised. Gabriel Gudmundsson is probably the national team player with the highest minimum level."
SvenskaFans were also impressed with the Leeds defender's performance against the two-time World Cup champions, giving him a rating of 2/5 and writing, "Flexible, driven and fought hard.
"Took great responsibility, and didn't give France any easy spaces on their wing. Had a nice work capacity in the first half, but lost some in the second. Was one of the best in Sweden."
Daniel Farke left with transfer priority after Gabriel Gudmundsson heroics
Chelsea have expressed interest in Gudmundsson after Marc Cucurella's move to the Santiago Bernabeu this summer.
The Swedish defender joined Leeds for around £10million from LOSC Lille a year ago and has proven his abilities in the Premier League.
While Daniel Farke surely wouldn't want to lose his starting left-back, a tempting offer could be hard to refuse, and with Sam Byram also leaving, reinforcements in that position will certainly become a priority at Elland Road.