Why Ilia Gruev was singled out by the Bulgarian media in 'chaotic' draw vs Estonia

Leeds United midfielder Ilia Gruev continues to be a standout for Bulgaria.

The 26-year-old is yet to feature for the Whites this campaign after suffering an injury earlier in the year.

That has seen him be ruled out of first-team action at Elland Road since April.

The midfielder made a return to the bench against Crystal Palace, but has gone on to play every available minute in this international break.

He played 90 minutes against Luxembourg at the weekend as his side fell to a 2-1 defeat.

The 26-year-old has now done so again as Estonia travelled to Stadion Hristo Botev.

Gruev featured in the middle of the park, with local media picking up on one thing in particular.

Why Ilia Gruev has been singled out vs Estonia

It's fair to say that Bulgarian football isn't quite what it once was.

The days of Dimitar Berbatov, Stiliyan Petrov and Martin Petrov are long gone and their struggles are clear to see.

Gruev is playing at the highest level within their current squad and it shows.

The Leeds man caught the eye as he put up the only true moment of quality against Estonia.

Local outlet Clubz noted this, writing: "Our team countered chaotic shots, most of which were outside the opponent's goal. The only passable shot was by Ilia Gruev."

That was matched by Segabg who picked up on the effort from the Elland Road ace.

"In fact, throughout the match, the Bulgarians had one decent situation. It was created by Ilia Gruev, who advanced with the ball and found a position for a shot, but he was saved with difficulty by goalkeeper Karl Hein."

This all just points to the midfielder being out on his own on the international stage as we delve into his performance.

How did Gruev perform in Bulgaria vs Estonia?

The 26-year-old needs to get back on the right path if he is to get back to his best under Daniel Farke.

It is always going to be difficult to do that in a struggling Bulgaria side, but he is certainly doing his best.

Gruev took the most touches on the pitch against Estonia, outside of defenders, with 62.

He utilised those to clock up 41 passes, while creating one chance for his teammates.

The Leeds man went on to have three shots, all three of which were on target with a 100 per cent accuracy.

That was all supplemented by three defensive actions and four duel wins.

None of this was enough to seal victory, but showed that he is just that step above compared to a lot of his international colleagues.