What Jaka Bijol has privately told his international manager amid Leeds United difficulties

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Slovenia manager Matjaž Kek has revealed what Jaka Bijol has told him about his ongoing struggles to break into the first team at Leeds United.

Jaka Bijol was one of the most high-profile names that Daniel Farke brought to Leeds, having featured regularly in Serie A and at international level.

However, having missed the first game of the season through suspension, Bijol has been forced to wait for the chance to make his Premier League debut.

The impressive partnership between Joe Rodon and Pascal Struijk has kept Bijol out of the Leeds side, as Farke has kept faith with two of the players who helped Leeds out of the Championship.

Now, as Bijol prepares to link up with the Slovenia squad on international duty, his national team manager has explained how Bijol feels about being forced to wait for his chance.

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Slovenia manager opens up on Jaka Bijol’s Leeds United wait

Bijol looks unlikely to start for Leeds against Tottenham, as his prolonged absence from the Leeds side continues.

Speaking in his press conference, via Dnevnik, ahead of Slovenia’s international fixtures against Kosovo and Switzerland, Kek said: “Bijol, [Petar] Stojanović and [Benjamin] Šeško have more problems in their environments. But now they play for the national team.

“I expect that these everyday problems will be forgotten here. The national team is also an opportunity to prove someone wrong.”

Addressing Bijol’s situation at Leeds specifically, via Ekipa, Kek continued: “This is also about the red card from Italy, which was why he was not in the coach’s first plans. The team is starting to play well, but they are not conceding goals. Why would he change?

“Add to that an unfortunate match in the cup, and things have come together like this. Just like with Sesko – both in terms of quality and character, accepting things in the cruel world of professional sport, it is clear that he will get his chance.

“To get through here, you have to be both mentally and physically at the highest level. Jaka told me three weeks ago: ‘The Premier League, this is something special, something different.’ He has to get used to it, adapt and at a certain point have a little luck too. “

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Bijol could help address a growing issue for Daniel Farke

Although Farke looks unlikely to throw Bijol in for his debut against Spurs, the Slovenian international could help answer a growing concern for Farke as Leeds’ season progresses.

Of the nine goals that Leeds have conceded this season, six have come from deliveries from dead balls, including Arsenal’s penalty, with just three conceded from open play.

Jaka Bijol in the 2024/25 Serie A season

• Tackles Won – 43
• Duels Won – 162
• Aerial Duels Won – 110
• Interceptions – 38
• Blocked Shots – 18

According to the stats from FotMob, Bijol won 162 duels in total in Serie A for Udinese last season. 110 of which were aerial duels, which ranks him in the top three per cent of defenders in the competition.

With Leeds also developing a worrying habit of conceding goals late in games, Bijol could be the answer, even as a late substitute, given his aerial dominance in Italy.