Leeds could already have an academy adolescent in “class” who will become the next Mateo Joseph.

 

 

 

 

Throughout his tenure, head coach Daniel Farke Daniel Farke of Leeds United has built a fantastic reputation for believing in and nurturing young players and academy graduates.

During his last stint in English football at Norwich City, the German manager discovered a number of talented young players, including Ben Godfrey, Andrew Omobamidele, Emiliano Buendia, James Maddison, and Max Aarons.

When the strategist came to Elland Road last summer, Whites supporters had good reason to be enthusiastic about the club’s future.

This season, at the age of 17, Archie Gray has emerged as a regular starter for Leeds, demonstrating Farke’s belief in developing players.

 

He has established himself as a right-back for the Whites in the championship thus far this season, although new recruit Connor Roberts will now look to put pressure on that. He has started 26 games for the Whites.

But in January, the team decided to take advantage of one of its academy products when forward Sean McGurk, who made an impact at the junior level, signed a professional deal with Swindon Town.

Because of the intriguing young attacker’s services to the academy, supporters may have wondered why the 20-year-old was let go.

Leeds, however, can move on from McGurk and forget about him since they have another bright young player in their academy, 19-year-old jewel Luca Thomas, who may be Mateo Joseph 2.0.

Joseph is another U21 talent who has been afforded an opportunity this season. The center striker has established himself as a reliable first-team option and made his FA Cup debut on Tuesday against Plymouth Argyle.

In his 81 minutes on the field, he did not record a goal or an assist for the team, but it does not tell the whole story because he showed a lot of promise throughout.

For instance, Joseph was terribly unfortunate not to score his first goal as a senior for Leeds when Conor Hazard made an incredible save to deflect the England U20 international’s effort over the bar.

 

The Whites youngster deftly set up a shooting opportunity by deftly dodging a defender in the box and hitting a rocket that appeared headed for the top corner until the goalie got a hand on it.

During his time on the field, he appeared enthusiastic and eager to leave a good impression on Farke. He could be disappointed not to have found the back of the net.

Joseph was active at the U21 level, scoring 19 goals in 33 games for the club’s youth. He has made seven appearances in the championship this season.

Along with his start on Tuesday, the 20-year-old marksman’s ten senior appearances under the German manager have drawn Farke’s attention. It appears that he is doing well enough to keep his spot on the first team.

But before moving to Swindon, McGurk did not appear to have done enough to merit an opportunity to shine in the championship or cup tournaments.

The 20-year-old winger played well for Leeds’ U21 team throughout the first part of the season after joining from Wigan in the summer of 2021.

In eight Premier League 2 games for the U21s, he recorded four goals and three assists, demonstrating that the youthful player was always making an impact at the top of the pitch.

Given his stellar performance, some fans would have questioned why McGurk signed a long-term contract with League Two team Swindon in January.