Inside Elland Road: Can Leeds Utd fans hold their nerve?
Leeds United defender Gabriel Gudmundsson is away with Sweden for two World Cup qualifiers.
Leeds United are facing an international break injury scare amid reports Gabriel Gudmundsson missed a Sweden training session on Thursday.
Gudmundsson is among several first-team squad members to have left West Yorkshire for international duty, having been named in former West Ham boss Graham Potter’s first Sweden squad. The Leeds defender was set to play in two 2026 World Cup qualifiers against Switzerland and Slovenia.
Ahead of the first game against Switzerland on Saturday, Potter held Sweden training on Thursday but national outlet Fotbollskanalen reports Gudmundsson was not involved. They claim the defender missed out through concussion and was instead watching from the sidelines.
Another Swedish outlet, Aftonbladet, has reported on Gudmundsson’s absence from training. They explain the 26-year-old is due for an ‘injury check’ and quote press officer Petra Thorén, who said: “It's a safety measure. There is an individual plan for him. Only the medical team can answer that [if he’ll be involved in training on Friday].”
It’s not fully clear why Gudmundsson missed training, with Aftonbladet reporting on an injury while Fotbollskanalen specifically mentioned a concussion. Should it be the latter, it’s also not clear whether that has been confirmed or if the defender is needing to be tested before official diagnosis.
Gabriel Gudmundsson injury clarity expected soon
Sweden manager Potter will be expected to hold a press conference ahead of his side’s weekend trip to Switzerland, with the fitness of Gudmundsson likely to be a key topic. The Leeds defender had been playing regularly under Jon Dahl Tomasson and has been excellent since joining Leeds from Lille in the summer.
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Leeds host Aston Villa at Elland Road next Sunday, which is 10 days from Thursday, meaning Gudmundsson could be at risk of missing out if indeed he has suffered a concussion. Equally, the left-back could be deemed fit to represent his country after further assessment and return to West Yorkshire unscathed.
Gudmundsson has started every Premier League game since joining Leeds, with the Swede one of just three players to do so - the others being Joe Rodon and Jayden Bogle. There have been minor injury scares during that spell but he’s managed to come through each time without missing any action.
Leeds will be desperate for Gudmundsson to keep that run intact, given how quickly he’s settled into life at Elland Road. The experienced left-back has been the most consistent summer arrival and is already forming a strong partnership down his side with key attacker Noah Okafor.
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