Brajan Gruda sends message to Jurgen Klopp after injury setback at Leipzig

The 22-year-old was named in Jurgen Klopp's first Germany squad but had to withdraw after suffering an injury during Leipzig's Bundesliga meeting with Bayer Leverkusen. He returned to the starting line-up against PSV Eindhoven on Tuesday, scoring the decisive goal in a 1-0 Champions League victory.

"It was very annoying," Gruda said of missing out on Germany duty. "But Jurgen Klopp told me: 'Postponed is not cancelled.' If I perform well, the chance will come again."

Germany face Serbia away before hosting the Netherlands in their November UEFA Nations League fixtures, giving Gruda another opportunity to work his way into contention if he can maintain his fitness and form.

His latest setback followed an earlier rib injury, with Leipzig coach Martin Demichelis revealing that the midfielder had spent recent weeks working his way back to full fitness.

"He is a special guy, funny and smart. I'm so happy for him," Demichelis said after the PSV match.

"I've been able to work closely with him over the past few weeks - first through his rib injury, then his abdominal injury. He wasn't able to start against Frankfurt, but today we made the decision in his favour."

For Gruda, the goal and three points made his return particularly satisfying after a frustrating spell on the sidelines.

"It feels great, to be honest. I was injured, and now I'm back and able to play from the start. It feels amazing, especially with the goal and the three points," he said.

The midfielder admitted Leipzig had struggled during the opening stages against PSV but was encouraged by the team's improvement as the game progressed.

"If we start games the way we finished this one, we can score many more goals," he added.

Leipzig's next challenge is a Bundesliga clash against Bayern Munich, and Gruda believes his side have the belief and togetherness to compete against any opponent.

"If we give 100 percent, I think we can beat anyone. It's football, anything can happen. We have a good spirit, we trust each other, and we'll see what happens," he said.

READ MORE: SAFA meet COSAFA and FIFA as they look to start VAR training