Leeds United star criticised for ‘bad mood, questionable behaviour'
A Leeds United star was surprisingly omitted from the Switzerland squad ahead of World Cup qualifiers with Sweden and Switzerland.
Several of Leeds United’s summer signings have wasted little time in making an impression following their arrival at Elland Road.
Sean Longstaff and Anton Stach have established themselves as solid presences in the middle of the park, Gabriel Gudmundsson appears to be a reliable figure in defence and Noah Okafor has shown flashes of why he has played for the likes of Napoli and AC Milan in Serie A.
After making his debut his Whites debut as a substitute in a 5-0 defeat at Arsenal on the second weekend of the new season, the 25-year-old forward bagged his first goal for the club in the 3-1 win at Wolverhampton Wanderers before doubling his tally in Saturday’s 2-1 defeat against Tottenham Hotspur.
Despite his impressive introduction to life with Daniel Farke’s squad, Okafor’s name was surprisingly absent from the Switzerland squad that will face a World Cup 2026 qualifying double-header - and reports in his home country have given insight into why he was not selected.
Swiss news outlet Blick have claimed Okafor was pinpointed for his ‘bad mood, questionable behaviour, and poor training performances’ ahead of the second international break of the season as Murat Yakin’s side prepare for a meetings with Sweden and Slovenia over the next week.
Switzerland national team director Pierluigi Tami asked why Okafor was left out of the squad during an interview ahead of Friday’s game against Gabriel Gudmundsson’s Sweden and stressed the ‘door is open’ for the Whites star to return to the fold in the future.
He said: “That’s actually a question for Murat Yakin. Murat has decided in his head who will be a regular starter and who won’t. It’s important for us that everyone in the national team is happy, regardless of what role the coach assigns them. This is the right path if you want to return to the national team. The door is open for him.”
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