What Ilia Gruev's Bulgaria exploits mean for Daniel Farke at Leeds United
Ilia Gruev looks ready to return to action for Leeds United.
The Bulgaria international has been on the sidelines for most of the season, making the bench for the first time against Crystal Palace in the Premier League on 20 September.
After recovering from his fitness issue, the 26-year-old was called up by his national side for the three-week international break.
Gruev featured in every game for Bulgaria in the UEFA Nations League, playing the full 90 minutes in three of the four matches.
The Lions lost their first game to Luxembourg, drew against Estonia and were beaten by Iceland in their first three fixtures.
Atanas Ribarski, who took over as Bulgaria's interim head coach after the Estonia game, finally got a win in the final game of the break in Luxembourg.
Where Ilia Gruev stands at Leeds United
Gruev captained Bulgaria to victory over Luxembourg and will certainly return to Leeds in high spirits.
The midfielder has shown Daniel Farke he's fully fit and ready to play a full game at Elland Road if needed.
Midway through last season, the former Werder Bremen ace had a magnificent purple patch, but subsequently lost his place in the starting lineup after some inconsistent displays and eventually picked up an injury.
Ethan Ampadu, Ao Tanaka and Anton Stach have been the German manager's preferred options in the middle of the park in recent games.
It will surely be hard for Gruev to get back into the starting lineup, but Farke clearly values him a lot.
Speaking after the Bulgarian midfielder's performance in the 3-1 win over Nottingham Forest last season, the German manager said, "He's so reliable."
Why Ilia Gruev is in make-or-break season at Elland Road
Gruev was in and out of the team last season and his prospects at Leeds don't look any encouraging this time around unless he does something special to convince Farke.
The Bulgaria international needs to make himself an undisputed starter in the eyes of the 49-year-old head coach to get regular minutes.
Gruev is also in the final year of his contract at the Whites, making his future worth watching.
The West Yorkshire outfit may decide not to extend the midfielder's deal beyond the current campaign if he can't contribute enough, or he may leave for pastures new next summer for consistent opportunities.