Leeds United manager Daniel Farke has confirmed that Ilia Gruev has a chance to be fit for Saturday’s game against Coventry City.
The Bulgarian midfielder has missed Leeds’ last two matches, with his absence in midfield very telling over Easter in uncontrolled team performances against Watford and Hull City.
Will Ilia Gruev play against Coventry City?
Farke confirmed that Gruev is in a fitness race for the game at the Coventry Building Society Arena on Saturday, having not played since he suffered an ankle injury on international duty with Bulgaria.
The Whites’ boss revealed that he has still yet to train with the team, but did not completely rule him out, while also providing fitness updates on Willy Gnonto and Connor Roberts, who will both miss the weekend’s game.
“We have a few players who are on the road to come back, Ilia Gruev is probably the closest because he’s just limited by some pain and some swelling,” Farke told the media in his pre-match press conference.
He continued: “He has not trained with the team yet, but we have 48 hours before we go into the next game so we will assess him in the next days.
“There is a little chance that he is available for the game, we just have to wait a little bit.
“With Willy Gnonto and Conor Roberts, we are quite clear, we have scanned them and they are muscle strains and they will be out for nine or ten days.”
Leeds need Gruev against Coventry
The game against the Sky Blues promises to be a tricky one, with the Midlands outfit chasing a playoff place and having already caused Leeds problems in a 1-1 draw at Elland Road earlier in the season.
With that in mind and given a drop off in performance level from previous weeks without Gruev in the team against Watford and Hull City, he must return on Saturday.
The Bulgarian has been a revelation since breaking into the first team, with his return likely to see Archie Gray return to right-back and give the Whites a more familiar-looking XI.
Gruev is pivotal to Farke’s system and with him back, Leeds have a much better chance of carrying on their superb 2024, a year which has seen them pick up 41 points out of a possible 45 on an incredible unbeaten run.
