‘More Than’ – Daniel Farke Points To Leeds United Star’s Impressive Stat
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Leeds United midfielder Ilia Gruev has been hailed by Daniel Farke for his relentlessness in games, pointing out that the Bulgarian runs more than 12 kilometres in every match.
The Bulgarian central midfielder was brought in to Elland Road three years ago from Bundesliga club Werder Bremen on a long-term deal.
He has had his fair share of injuries at Leeds since he came in, but has started mostly when he is fit amid the competition in the side.
When Gurev came in, Farke was impressed by his qualities, and he hailed him for his ability to be a box-to-box midfielder for the Whites.
One former Arsenal star applauded Leeds’ recruitment quality when they snapped him from the German league.
However, he struggled to clock regular game time at the beginning of this season due to multiple signings in midfield to beef up the engine room for Premier League football.
The Bulgaria star, though, has managed to get into the team consistently since the turn of the year, and he provided two assists against Nottingham Forest in a crucial game which Leeds won 3-1 on Friday.
Farke is impressed with Gruev’s tireless running, and he pointed out the Leeds star’s coverage of the pitch, which is more than 12 kilometres on a regular basis.
“Not too much individually, he has always been a very reliable player for us, you always get a seven out of ten performance from him”, the Whites boss told a press conference (12:24) when he was asked what aspects have improved Gruev in recent games.
“Obviously, he is a defensive midfielder in nature, and it is important for us to have him be the glue, to be the balance also with Ethan Ampadu quite often in the middle of the park and give more freedom for more offensive-thinking players.
“But he is also capable of being there, of high passing accuracy, and he also can set up our attacks.
“He has a really, really good defensive awareness and is tactically always spot on.
“He covers each of the games, more than 12k and also helps us with reliability in the passing.
“It is not that often that he shines in the offence with goals and assists.
“But he did better the other night [against Forest] and for that [he is an] important player for us to go forward.”
Gruev has been underrated at Elland Road, in the view of one former Leeds star, and now he is showing his quality in the Premier League for the Whites.
Whether the central midfielder will be able to keep his performances at such a high level for the remainder of the campaign remains to be seen.
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