Leeds United man relishing freedom after relegation as defender reflects on Elland Road tension

Wober is expected to feature prominently for the national team, coached by former Manchester United boss Ralf Rangnick, and will face Belgium on Saturday evening. Next, the Leeds man will take on Sweden, also in UEFA Euro 2024 qualifying, on June 20.

Speaking to German-language outlet Kicker during his time at the Austrian camp in Windischgarten, Wober said: "Everything feels freer. It's good for me to be able to focus on other things again".

Reflecting on a stressful end to the season, Wober added: "We just didn't manage to get wins in the important games. Everything was tense in a way.”

The 25-year-old only joined Leeds in January this year, but swiftly established himself as a reliable operator during his first two months in the side. An injury picked up during international duty in March derailed his campaign somewhat, keeping him out of pivotal fixtures against Arsenal, Liverpool and Crystal Palace - all of which were matches Leeds lost by at least a three-goal margin.

Upon returning to the side, United were already on a downward trajectory and Wober’s performances were not enough to arrest the slump which culminated in nine winless fixtures to finish the campaign and relegation to the Championship.

It is unclear whether the Austrian international will remain at Elland Road. Wober signed a long-term contract until 2027 at the beginning of January and while some members of the squad have relegation release clauses, it has not been determined whether Wober is included in that list.

Leeds are keen to keep the defender in the Championship, who can operate at left-back or left-sided centre-back, in a bid to spearhead their charge back to Premier League football at the first time of asking.