Gabriel Gudmundsson has turned out to be one of the best signings of last summer for Leeds United as he seamlessly adapted to the Premier League last season.
His performances at Leeds also established him on the international stage, and he has been tipped to be an important player for Sweden in the World Cup in North America.
The defender missed the last few weeks of the season at Leeds due to an injury, and he made good use of the time to recover and prepare for the national team’s World Cup campaign.
He returned to the pitch in a pre-tournament friendly. However, there are major doubts around his availability ahead of Sweden’s opening game against Tunisia later tonight.
Graham Potter makes a Gabriel Gudmundsson admission
The Leeds United defender has been recovering from an illness and has been locked up inside his hotel room since last weekend.
However, the left-back has returned to training ahead of their opening game tonight, and Graham Potter has revealed details about his fitness.
He claimed that the left-back is available for selection after recovering from his illness, but didn’t reveal whether he is fit to play against Tunisia.
The Sweden boss insisted that the decision to have him in the squad will depend on how he reacts to training with the rest of the squad.
“Everyone is available”, Potter said in a pre-match press conference.
“If he [Gudmundsson] does well in training today, he should be able to play.”
Hard to see how he starts tonight
Gabriel Gudmundsson quickly became a fan favourite at Leeds thanks to his quality on the pitch and his tireless work ethic. In many ways, he proved to be one of the club’s best signings of last summer.
His impressive performances in the Premier League also cemented his place as Sweden’s first-choice left-back, making him a strong contender to start at the World Cup.
With Sweden set to face Tunisia later tonight, a decision on his involvement has likely already been made.
However, after missing time through injury in May and then dealing with illness, it seems unlikely that Gudmundsson will be ready to start. Having had only a single day of training, Sweden may be reluctant to throw him straight back into the starting XI.
