Ilia Gruev recovery timescale revealed amid initial hope after Leeds United injury blow

Bulgarian national team head coach Ilian Iliev has put a five-month timescale on Ilia Gruev’s recovery from the knee injury he sustained last week.

Gruev was forced off during the first-half of Leeds United’s 1-1 draw at Norwich City, having initially tried to play on after receiving on-pitch treatment. Whites boss Daniel Farke admitted on the night it didn’t look good for the 24-year-old, who was set for a long spell in the first-team after news Ethan Ampadu would be out until the new year, also with a knee injury.

After further assessment, Leeds confirmed last Thursday (October 3) that Gruev would undergo surgery on a ‘significant’ meniscus injury, although there was no indication how long he would be out for. The YEP understands it will be months, rather than weeks, and the midfielder’s national team boss has all but confirmed as much.

“At first, we thought that the meniscus was not damaged and that it would take a month to recover,” Iliev told BNT (via Dsport.bg) ahead of his side’s Nations League meetings with Luxembourg and Northern Ireland, which Gruev would have been involved in. “It turned out to be the worst, about five months will be the recovery and he will return, alive and well, for the World [Cup] qualifications.”

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European qualification for the 2026 World Cup is scheduled to start during the March international break, which would be in-line with the five-month timescale. It may be that Gruev returns to action with Leeds beforehand, with no international football until March after the November break, but it is unlikely to be much sooner with five months pointing towards mid-March.

Leeds are currently without a natural defensive midfield option, having seen Gruev suffer a serious knee injury just three days after Ampadu did similar against Coventry. The Welshman is currently set to avoid surgery and so faces around 10 weeks out, meaning a likely return to play in January.

A brand new partnership of Ao Tanaka and Joe Rothwell filled the gaps at Sunderland last Friday but Leeds are also assessing possible free agent options. Former Nottingham Forest and Crystal Palace man Cheikhou Kouyaté is among a small group being considered, although it remains to be seen how quickly he or anyone else without a club could get up to speed.