The World Cup is fast approaching and in just over two months’ time, the Premier League will take a break as eyes turn to Qatar. As such, the next few weeks could be absolutely vital for those players with aspirations of representing their countries at the tournament.
A number of Leeds United stars will be aiming to travel to the Middle East this autumn and they’ll all be pushing to catch the eye in a white shirt. The likes of Brenden Aaronson and Tyler Adams look certain to be involved already, but others still have plenty to do.
Here, LeedsLive assess where Leeds’ World Cup hopefuls stand.
Read more: Early verdicts on Leeds United summer signings and how they've fared so far
Robin Koch – Germany
Koch has enjoyed a fine start to the campaign under Jesse Marsch and his performances in Leeds’ backline will surely have been noticed by Germany boss Hansi Flick. Koch wasn’t involved with Germany over the summer, with his last call-up coming in March ahead of their clash with the Netherlands, and injuries won’t have bolstered his claim.
However, he does have eight caps to his name and he will certainly feel that he has something to offer Germany in Qatar, despite fierce competition from the likes of Thilo Kehrer, Niklas Sule and Matthias Ginter.
Verdict: Good chance
Mateusz Klich –Poland
Klich hasn’t been a starter for Leeds this season, but he’s played a key role off the bench and that might just be enough to seal his spot in the Poland squad. Klich has been a regular for his country during his time at Elland Road and although competition within the squad is strong, the midfielder is playing at a high enough level to remain within Czeslaw Michniewicz’s thoughts, you’d think.
The midfielder is obviously keen to make sure of his spot, though, and he’ll continue to push for a place in the Leeds side over the next two months.
Verdict: Good chance
Brenden Aaronson - USA
Aaronson has been a key man in the USA set-up over the last couple of years and he’s expected to play an important role in Qatar. The 21-year-old has done his chances of being involved absolutely no harm by the way he has started the season with Leeds, either.
Verdict: Certainty
Jack Harrison – England
Harrison has been one of Leeds’ brightest performers so far this season and it seems his performances have not gone unnoticed with reports claiming he is on Gareth Southgate’s radar and could be considered for selection. Harrison isn’t a stranger to the international scene, having earned two caps for England under-21s as a youngster, but he hasn’t received a senior call-up just yet.
Of course, England aren’t exactly short of options out wide, with Jarrod Bowen, Bukayo Saka, Jadon Sancho, Marcus Rashford, Raheem Sterling and Jack Grealish amongst those vying for recognition. However, bookmaker Bet Victor have Harrison at 8/1 to earn a spot in the World Cup squad at present and those odds could tumble should he continue to excel.
Verdict: Outside chance
Pascal Struijk – Netherlands
Struijk is on Louis van Gaal’s radar and last week the defender was named in the Netherlands’ provisional squad for Nations League games against Poland and Belgium. That squad will be narrowed down before the international break and it remains to be seen whether he will receive a full call-up, but it’s certainly promising for the Leeds man, who has done reasonably well playing out of position on the left of the Whites’ backline this season.
A World Cup spot is there to be claimed for Struijk, especially now he knows he has van Gaal’s attention.
Verdict: Outside chance
Rasmus Kristensen – Denmark
Given Kristensen only earned his first cap last year, it’s fair to say he is still new to the international scene. The right-back’s performances in Austria were enough to see him become a regular within the Denmark fold and he has now picked up eight caps, after edging out Jens Stryger Larsen at right-back.
He hasn’t enjoyed the best of starts to life in the Premier League this season so far, but if he can hold down his spot in the Leeds side, he will likely do the same at international level.
Verdict: Good chance
Patrick Bamford – England
Bamford won his first and his only cap to date last year as England saw off Andorra 4-0 at Wembley Stadium. Unfortunately, injuries have prevented the striker from being able to build on that and as he returns from the groin issue he picked up against Southampton last month, it’s fair to say he’s down the pecking order at present.
Harry Kane and Tammy Abraham look the most likely to earn call-ups for England this autumn, while the likes of Ivan Toney and Sterling seem to have the edge at present.
Verdict: Unlikely
Rodrigo – Spain
Rodrigo is able to boast 27 caps for Spain, but he hasn’t exactly been a regular over the last two years, with just two appearances coming since October 2020. However, the way he started the season for Leeds surely hasn’t gone unnoticed, with four goals coming in his first three outings.
Unfortunately he dislocated his shoulder in the clash with Everton last week and that should rule him out of September’s Nations League games, but if he can return with the same sort of swagger that he started the season with, he could force Luis Enrique’s hand.
Verdict: Outside chance
Tyler Adams – USA
Like Aaronson, Adams has been a key man with the United States and he will probably be one of the first names on the teamsheet in the group stages against England, Wales and Iran. Adams has captained his country on several occasions and he seems likely to feature alongside Yunus Musah and potentially Weston McKennie in the middle of the park.
Verdict: Certainty
Diego Llorente – Spain
Llorente has been in and out of the Spain squad since joining Leeds from Real Sociedad in 2020. The 29-year-old was involved over the summer, suggesting he is in Luis Enrique’s plans for the time being, but he has struggled to convince domestically this season and his place in the United side looks uncertain after Saturday’s game at Brentford.
With Aymeric Laporte, Eric Garcia, Inigo Martinez and Pau Torres, Spain aren’t short of options at centre-back and Llorente will have to do more to make sure of his spot.
Verdict: Uncertain
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