Leeds United: Ilia Gruev held talks with Daniel Farke amid limited playing time
Ilia Gruev has revealed that he held talks with Leeds United boss Daniel Farke about his lack of playing time earlier this season.
The Bulgarian international moved to Elland Road at the end of the summer transfer window and struggled to make an immediate impact, with just 136 minutes of action in all competitions between then and Boxing Day.
But since then Gruev has gone on a run of 16 consecutive starts for the Whites and become a key member of Farke’s side, but admitted in an interview with Leeds-Live (20 March) that he had concerns at the start until a conversation with Farke assured him that he’d get his chance.
“I talked to the boss [through the first half of the season] and he said ‘Continue like this, train hard like this and sooner or later there will be a chance and then you have to use it,’” said Gruev.
“That’s what he said. I think I did my job.”
Patience is a virtue for Gruev and Leeds United
One thing that Leeds fans have had a bit of criticism for this season was Daniel Farke’s team selections, as he regularly selects the same lineup unless he’s forced to alter it.
The start of the campaign saw several complaints that Archie Gray could get burnt out due to the amount of game time, while players like Gruev, Patrick Bamford and Wilfried Gnonto were sitting on the bench and struggling to make an impact.
However as the season has gone on, those players have now become integral parts of the starting lineup and others are making huge impacts from the bench.
It’s showing that patience is clearly a virtue for the Whites players but also for Farke too, as he wants to see certain things from his players before throwing them onto the pitch.
Gruev is now a key player and the bond between Farke and the rest of the squad will be stronger after seeing the manager deliver on his promise, so the bar has been set for anyone else looking to break into the side.
In other Leeds news, one international manager has ruled this Whites star out of the running for a Euro 2024 spot.
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