New Leeds United signing Ilia Gruev took to the field for the first time since swapping Werder Bremen for Yorkshire on Thursday night – but as the video below shows, he was guilty of a howler for Bulgaria.
Gruev, 23, joined Leeds in the final 48 hours of the transfer window – believed to have cost the Whites a fee of £5m. A ball-playing central midfielder, set to rival Ethan Ampadu, Archie Gray and Glen Kamara.
But he was unable to play against Sheffield Wednesday, as he awaits a Visa. He should be available to play against Millwall, when the international break is over. In the mean time, he played for his country.
On Thursday night, Bulgaria hosted Iran. The away side secured a 1-0 win, Mohammad Mahebi scoring the only goal. It comes after a mistake from Gruev, who played on the left side of a three-man defence.
Below, is a video of Mahebi’s goal. A long ball over the top of Gruev had him back-peddling under pressure, and in his attempt to head back the goalkeeper – he found Brentford’s Saman Ghoddos.
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Video: New Leeds signing Gruev guilty of howler in Bulgaria loss
Not great from Gruev. But it must be said that Gruev has been signed by Leeds to play in the middle of the park and while he can do a job in the middle, or on the left of a three-man defence, it is not natural.
Hopefully, Gruev has got it out of his system and when he takes to the field for Leeds – the mistakes are erased from his game. Certainly, he will now learn when in that position, to just hook it out for a throw.