Manager delivers brutal verdict on Jaka Bijol’s future at Leeds United
Jaka Bijol has had to show tremendous patience since signing for Leeds United.
Bijol was expected to walk into the Leeds team after signing from Udinese this summer, but it hasn’t turned out that way.
The Slovenian defender was suspended for Leeds’ opening game of the season. Pascal Struijk and Joe Rodon did so well in his absence that Daniel Farke couldn’t justify dropping either of them, and that’s how it’s continued to be in every other league game.
Bijol was given the chance to show what he can do in Leeds’ Carabao Cup tie against Sheffield Wednesday.
Sadly, like most of his teammates that night, he delivered a below-par performance, as Leeds were dumped out of the competition.
Slovenia manager doesn’t expect Jaka Bijol to play for Leeds any time soon
Bijol will likely get the chance to play for Slovenia in their World Cup qualifiers against Kosovo and Switzerland during the upcoming international break.
He is a regular in the national team, and has picked up 63 caps for his country.
However, in an interview ahead of these games, Slovenia manager said he didn’t expect Bijol to play for Leeds at all in the near future.
According to Ekipa, he said: “The team is starting to play well; they are not conceding goals. Why would [Farke] change? Add to that an unfortunate match in the cup, and things have come together like this.”
Daniel Farke is right to leave his back four unchanged after Leeds’ bright start to the season
Few at Leeds would have expected the season to start this way for Jaka Bijol.
The defender was earmarked as a key signing to help strengthen Leeds’ defence, but with Rodon and Struijk proving so solid, there has been no need to switch things up.
It’s a smart move by Farke to stick with these two, based on Leeds’ start to the season. It can cause confusion among a back four when a new signing is added, and the Leeds boss hasn’t seen a reason to introduce this jeopardy.
| Player | Premier League appearances (2025-26) | Minutes played |
| Joe Rodon | 6 | 540 |
| Pascal Struijk | 6 | 540 |
| Jaka Bijol | 0 | 0 |
| Sebastiaan Bornauw | 0 | 0 |
Instead, he has chosen to stay true to his values. Farke has frequently told his players that they’ll remain in the team for as long as they continue to play well. With that in mind, Lucas Perri could be set for a spell playing second fiddle to Karl Darlow, even after he recovers from his injury.
The main thing that matters is that Leeds remain solid at the back, and there’s no evidence of any cracks in their armour with their current back four and goalkeeper.
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