Ilia Gruev may be forced to consider his Leeds United future after latest Daniel Farke snub
As soon as he arrived at Elland Road, Daniel Farke faced the task of rebuilding his Leeds United squad from top to bottom after a mass summer exodus.
While additions were made all over the field, the one area that required particular attention was the middle of the park, with the likes of Ethan Ampadu, Glen Kamara and Ilia Gruev all signed to help Archie Gray and Jamie Shackleton at the heart of midfield.
Ampadu and Kamara have since forged an excellent partnership, with Gray impressing at right back, but Gruev has seen his involvement limited since arriving at Elland Road and was once again snubbed by Farke in the Whites’ draw with Rotherham.
The German, who typically doesn’t tinker with his side too much, made five changes at the New York Stadium in search of a winner, but while Patrick Bamford and Ian Poveda were introduced, Gruev was left rooted to the bench as he was made to wait for his seventh Leeds appearance.
Gruev has only made one start for Leeds United this season, coming off of the bench on a further five occasions, but in his six appearances, he has only played 95 minutes in the Championship. Kamara was signed at the same time as the Bulgarian but has already played 670 minutes.
It is clear that currently, Farke doesn’t trust the 23-year-old to play and start matches at the heart of his midfield, but it seems as though he isn’t even particularly keen to use him as a substitute in the crucial moments of matches. His longest substitute appearance in the Championship only clocked in at six minutes.
What will be worrying for Gruev is the fact that it could well become even harder to find regular minutes in the Leeds midfield in the coming weeks as Djed Spence is set to return to the matchday squad having recovered from injury [Leeds Live].
If the Spurs right-back slots into the backline, it will allow Gray to once again move into midfield and compete with Ampadu and Kamara for a starting spot. That extra competition could see Gruev fall even further down in Farke’s pecking order.
The last few months have arguably offered the best chance for the Bulgarian to start games regularly, given the limited options available to Farke, yet he has still only been named in the starting XI once, in a defeat to Stoke City.
While the busy schedule over the festive period could force Farke to make changes in the coming weeks, Gruev could be forced to consider his future already at Elland Road if he remains a spare part at Leeds United.
In other Leeds United news, Carlton Palmer has been left enraged by the latest news surrounding Cody Drameh at Elland Road