Slovenia's new manager Bostjan Cesar has named Leeds United's Jaka Bijol as captain for the March international break.
The national team confirmed the appointment of manager in January, following Matjaz Kek's departure from his role in December.
With injuries to other key players, Cesar has decided to hand the armband to a Leeds United player.
He will be without goalkeepers Jan Oblak of Atletico Madrid, Benjamin Cesco of Manchester United, Sandi Lovric of Hellas Verona and David Brekalow of Orlando City.
Due to injuries, this quartet will not be able to play in the upcoming matches and hence the manager has made Bijol his captain.
Slovenia failed to win any of their World Cup qualifiers in the last three international breaks and this led to Kek's elimination.
Difficult situation at leeds united
The White centre-back spoke at a press conference on Monday and Tuesday's edition Diary Has released his comments.
Jaka Bijol wants to put Slovenia's disappointment behind him and wants his teammates to make the most of the upcoming matches.
He said: "We learned from the last cycle that this path is not very fast. We are still not at the beginning, but we have a good foundation."
"We know we have to give even more to be successful. The new faces have to accept as much responsibility as possible. If everyone plays their part during the week and in the matches, we will be successful. Both friendly matches are a great opportunity to feel out new ideas and see what changes will be made to the team."
The 27-year-old arrived at Elland Road from Udinese in June 2025 and initially struggled for regular minutes. Daniel Farke started using it in October, and please did this Kek, former manager of Slovenia.
Bijols has played 1,309 minutes in 18 Premier League matches, including 13 starts. He explained how difficult it is to retain his place at Leeds United.
"It's a constant struggle to get a place in the team. I'm happy with my situation, one week it's better, the next week it's worse. When I get a chance, I give my all," Bijol explained.
Defender's contract, price and agent information
fiorentina tried to bring him back to Serie A in the winter market, but a move was highly unlikely and La Viola soon realized this.
transfer market Jaka Bijol is valued at €18m, with a contract until 2030. A €3m increase since his move to Leeds United.
The agency SEG Sports Entertainment takes care of his future and interests.
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