Last weekend, Robin Koch returned to Leeds United’s squad after being sidelined for over three months with a knee injury.
Having arrived at Elland Road from SC Freiburg last summer, the defender started in every fixture until he suffered an injury in his side’s 3-1 defeat against Chelsea in December.
His return to the squad was against the Blues, a tie which ended in a goalless draw on March 13th.
Earlier this week, the Germany international enjoyed his first minutes on the pitch after recovering from injury, but that came with Leeds U23 side.
Despite the minutes, the centre-back came to an agreement with his national team to not be a part of Joachim Löw’s squad for March’s international break.
“I made an agreement with the national coach that the three international matches would come too early for me because I had no match practice after the injury. I’m using the international break at Leeds, through a trial match, to regain my fitness level,” Koch told Sport1.
Marcelo Bielsa’s men take on Fulham in the league later today and Koch’s comments would indicate he may not be featuring against the Cottagers.
Meanwhile, the 24-year-old admitted he has his eyes set on the European championship in the summer, a competition he believes Germany can go on to win.
“I am in contact with the coaching team. They gave me the feedback that they were completely satisfied with my previous appearances and that I have shown my performance,” Koch explained.
“I would of course already be happy to be there again, but I’m still optimistic and in good spirits for Euro 2020.
“We have the potential to become European champions. Because we have a young and hungry team. At a tournament like this you also need a bit of luck. If we have that on our side, we can definitely become European champions.”
