Ilia Gruev has suffered an injury and has therefore joined the ranks of injured players after the latest 1-1 outcome against Norwich City, meaning that Leeds United’s injury troubles are far from over.
The Bulgarian midfielder has been a very key player for Leeds’ midfield, but unfortunately was forced to leave the field after just twenty minutes of play because of what looked like a knee injury sourced from other players’ impact.
Farke’s Injury Concerns Grow
It is no secret that the most pressing issue that concerns Leeds manager Daniel Farke is the increasing injury list.
Following Gruev’s injury, he follows in the footsteps of Ethan Ampadu who has left Leeds United with no one to command the midfield.
Rothwell who joined Tanaka in the center of the pitch had to come on in place of Gruev, who was out on injury, but this is very concerning for the team since they are still in the hunt for promotion to the Premier League.
Talking about the injury after the match, Farke said, “At the moment, it doesn’t look that great. It will need further assessment tomorrow.”
This indicates that Leeds will be anxiously waiting for updates on Gruev’s condition.
Leeds’ Performance Against Norwich
The match turned into a real headache as two teams that were in excellent form tried to break each other down.
After falling behind due to a penalty, Leeds got back into the game thanks to a Largie Ramazani goal.
Leeds created several opportunities, one of which came through Gnonto’s drive which hit the upright but they could not grab all three points.
After the game, Farke praised his team’s resilience, pointing out that it was really hard to perform under such conditions, especially because of the numerous injuries.
However, he did show some irritation because Leeds were about to win the game, but acknowledged that it is reasonable considering Norwich’s current form.
Midfield Crisis for Leeds
Gruev’s injury implies that only two central midfielders are left who can play for Leeds which are Tanaka and Rothwell.
With Ampadu already out for 10 weeks, this leaves the squad thin in a critical area of the pitch.
Gruev could potentially join several other key players like Dan James, Max Wober, and Junior Firpo who have also been ruled out.
Despite the increasing injury list, Farke would want good news from the assessments and would still need the fit players as he has in the few weeks with more matches coming.
With Leeds United facing additional matches on the calendar, the depth of the squad will be put to the test with many fans helpless for more news on Gruev’s status.
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