Leeds United youngster tipped to take next step under Daniel Farke next season

admin | June 16, 2024 | Leeds United | No Comments

Mateo Joseph made 26 appearances in all competitions for Leeds United last season
Paul Robinson expects to see Mateo Joseph kick on to play more of a key role at Leeds United next season. Joseph made 26 appearances under Daniel Farke last season as he enjoyed what was his first full campaign in the senior fold at Elland Road.

Of those outings, 22 came in the Championship and while he never made a league start, the manager regularly looked his way to come off the bench late in games. He managed to show what he could offer from the start against Chelsea in the FA Cup, though, scoring twice in the Whites’ 3-2 loss at Stamford Bridge.

Since bagging that brace, Joseph has become a fully fledged Spain Under-21 international and is expected to feature for his nation at this summer’s Olympics in France. That will take him away from Elland Road for a period just before the start of the campaign and Robinson believes it could mark the start of another impressive season for the 20-year-old, who penned a new long-term deal with Leeds back in January.

“He’s still a young player and was a bit-part player this season. Any international recognition is good, especially at the Olympics. There’s a huge buzz around that, with the football side growing very quickly,” Robinson said while speaking to MOT Leeds News.

“For a player like Joseph, it’s an opportunity for him to showcase his talent on a wider level. Whether he gets his chance next season… I think he will. He’ll get more game time, but how much depends on which players move on.

“If Crysencio Summerville and Wilfried Gnonto move on, and there’s space in the squad and the starting XI for that type of player, I think he’ll get more game time. His future is at Leeds. He played an important role at times.

“I think he’ll be part of the first team next season. The way the squad needs to be manipulated, and the fact that he’s not a player the manager will want to lose, he’ll play more this season than he did in the last.”

Joseph started his career with Spanish club Espanyol before making the move over to join the Whites youth ranks in January 2022. After impressing in the club’s U21s side, the striker made his senior debut against Wolves in the Carabao Cup in September 2022, before going on to make three Premier League appearances last season.

Spain have been drawn to face Uzbekistan, Egypt and the Dominican Republic in the group stages of the Olympics, with their first match being played on July 24 at Parc des Princes in Paris. The Spanish are fancied to progress deep into the tournament with the final due to be played on August 9, a day before the Championship is due to get underway.

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