Injury concern as Gruev returns with 'problems'

Ilia Gruev played another 45 minutes of international football on Sunday evening despite Bulgaria boss Ilian Iliev admitting he had "problems".

- by Kyle Newbould

Bulgaria fell to their second 3-0 defeat of the September international break on Sunday evening, this time against Georgia after losing by the same scoreline to Spain on Thursday.

Leeds United midfielder Gruev played 90 minutes against the latter but was somewhat surprisingly benched over the weekend.

Iliev introduced his Premier League midfielder to the fore at halftime in Tbilisi, with Bulgaria 2-0 down at the time before conceding a third on 65 minutes. Gruev continued to play right up until full-time despite the fixture being all but over, and the emergence of a potential fitness issue will raise concerns in West Yorkshire.