'Haven't had a real opportunity' - Leeds United summer signing addresses minutes concern on international duty
The £15m summer arrival is yet to make his Leeds United Premier League debut.
Jaka Bijol is not concerned with his slow-and-steady integration into the Leeds United team as the summer signing awaits his Premier League debut.
Bijol has not featured in any of Leeds’ opening three league fixtures, albeit he missed the opening-night win over Everton due to a suspension carried over from his time at Udinese. Daniel Farke picked Championship title-winning pair Joe Rodon and Pascal Struijk for that victory and stuck by the trusted pair for meetings with Arsenal and Newcastle United.
The 26-year-old’s only start came as part of a much-rotated side who lost their Carabao Cup second-round clash to Sheffield Wednesday via penalties, a night in which no one connected with Leeds earned much credit. But Elland Road chiefs deemed the Slovenian international important enough to part ways with £15million and a lack of action this early is nothing to worry about.
“Two games on the bench are not something terrible,” Bijol told Slovenian outlet Dnevnik ahead of his side’s 2026 World Cup qualifier against Sweden this evening. “I haven't had a real opportunity to get minutes in Leeds yet. Give me a little more time to show what I can do.”
Bijol will hope to show exactly what he can do when Slovenia host Sweden this evening, with the Leeds defender expected to start and play the majority of the game in Ljubljana. Whites supporters will have a keen eye on the occasion, with left-back Gabriel Gudmundsson likely to be part of the visiting Sweden side.
Two Leeds United signings go head-to-head this evening
Where Bijol has found minutes hard to come by at Leeds, Gudmundsson has hit the ground running, starting all three Premier League games and only coming off against Newcastle due to a minor knock. The Swede, also 26, has impressed with his forward runs and aggressive defending.
His opposite number Bijol will be tested against the best this evening, with Arsenal’s Viktor Gyokeres - who scored twice in a 5-0 win over Leeds last month - likely to lead the line while £125m Liverpool signing Alexander Isak could also get minutes. But the centre-back has been speaking with Gudmundsson ahead of their international meeting and expects a tight affair between two good sides.
“All the boys [with Slovenia] are full of confidence, also due to our previous achievements,” the towering defender added. “We know that we can play with anyone. We are ready for a tough opponent. If we help each other, we are sure that we can stop them. They are also very confident, which is based on good results in the past period. Since we are both ready, I expect a good match.”
Farke will be desperate to see both Bijol and Gudmundsson come through this evening’s meeting and the second round of international fixtures unscathed, with a big month coming up. Leeds return from the September break with consecutive away trips to Fulham and Bournemouth before a home game against relegation strugglers Wolves.