Leeds United star hammered by nation’s media, new Elland Road player ‘weak’ and ‘outplayed’

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Only five Leeds United players are currently on international duty during the September break, a whole lot less than Leeds have had in the past during Daniel Farke’s reign as manager.

Injuries to Ethan Ampadu and Ao Tanaka, as well as Joe Rodon’s withdrawal from the Wales squad, have reduced the number of players representing their nations. Willy Gnonto is now too old for Italy’s 21s.

Dan James and Karl Darlow helped Craig Bellamy’s Wales secure a crucial win away at Kazakhstan last week, while Jaka Bijol and Gabriel Gudmundsson played out a 2-2 draw in 2026 World Cup qualifying.

Ilia Gruev is at the centre of a ‘scandal’ after arguing with his manager Ilian Iliev. Bijol and Gudmundsson were in action on Tuesday, as Mateo Joseph’s strike partner Vedat Muriqi helped Kosovo beat Sweden.

• READ MORE: Mateo Joseph admits he finds life hard in Yorkshire, compared to Mallorca

Swedish media hammer Gabriel Gudmundsson after 2-0 loss

Despite boasting Gudmundsson, Newcastle’s £55m signing Anthony Elanga, Arsenal’s new striker Viktor Gyokeres and the £125m man Alexander Isak, Jon Dahl Tomasson’s Sweden fell to a 2-0 defeat.

A woeful result that leaves Sweden’s hope of World Cup qualification on the brink, with just one point achieved in two games. Swedish outlet FotbollSkanalen handed Gudmundsson a rating of 1/5, or a “fail”.

They reported: “Some weak passes that led to dangerous game turns. Lost a few chances. Not nearly as strong as before in the national team but was outplayed several times. Did not contribute offensively.”

Leeds will be hoping Gudmundsson’s display is just a blip

Gudmundsson was certainly not the only Swedish player to struggle on the night. Only six of the 16 that played for Sweden on the night were given ratings of 2/5. Leeds will be hoping his display was a blip

Leeds fans believe Gudmundsson has been one of the club’s three best players this season so far, while FotMob rate Gudmundsson as Leeds’ fourth-best player over the course of three Premier League games.

What will come as a boost to Leeds and Daniel Farke, is that Gudmundsson has played two consecutive 90 minutes after coming off against Newcastle with what looked to be an impact injury, or a knock.