Ilia Gruev forced off after Leeds United instructions in 'shameful' Bulgaria scenes vs Iceland

Ilia Gruev suffered defeat away from Leeds United as Bulgaria lost to Iceland on Saturday.

Laugardalsvollur hosted Atanas Ribarski's team, with the home side winning 3-0 in the Nations League on 3 October.

Orri Oskarsson found the back of the net in each half, before Mikael Ellertsson left no doubt after his goal in the 90th minute.

Gruev is playing under caretaker boss Ribarski as Aleksandar Dimitrov resigned from the Bulgarian national team.

The interim manager's first game in charge of the Lions ended in a loss to Iceland.

The West Yorkshire outfit's midfielder has only recently returned from injury and played 55 minutes before being replaced by Emil Tsenov.

Bulgaria media react to defeat vs Iceland

Gruev isn't having the best of times with Bulgaria, who have failed to win any of their three games during the international break.

Dsport described Ribarski's opening game in charge of the national side as "shameful".

Gruev received a 6.5 rating from liga.bg, and Leeds fans may take some solace that it was the second-highest rating in the team.

Despite Bulgaria's desperate need of a goal, Ribarski was forced to take off the 26-year-old midfielder.

After the game, the Lions' caretaker boss said that the West Yorkshire outfit had given instructions on how many minutes Gruev should play, and while the former Werder Bremen ace wanted to play more, "the risk was great".

Ilia Gruev situation assessed at Leeds United

Gruev had a period in the previous campaign at Leeds where he put in some exceptional performances.

Fitness issues haven't helped the midfielder in recent years and his lack of consistency has clearly affected his position in the pecking order.

While the Bulgaria star has been recovering on the sidelines, the likes of Anton Stach and Ao Tanaka have cemented their place in the starting lineup.

Gruev is also competing with Sean Longstaff for minutes at the West Yorkshire outfit.

Daniel Farke's team have gotten off to an unbeaten start in the Premier League and there isn't much the German manager would likely want to change.

After the break, it will be interesting to see how many minutes Gruev gets, as he's clearly fit enough to play.