Ilia Gruev knows as well as anyone at Leeds United that patience is a virtue.
Gruev started just two of Leeds‘ opening 26 matches of the Championship campaign but has since become a crucial part of the side thanks to 10 consecutive league starts.
The second half of the season has seen a number of fringe players including Gruev, Patrick Bamford and Junior Firpo come to the fore, but there is still one player chomping at the bit for more opportunities.
That man is Mateo Joseph. Having scored his first two goals for the club in the FA Cup at Chelsea last week, Joseph was again hugely impressive from the bench against Stoke City on Tuesday night.
Joseph is still yet to be handed a single league start for the club, but speaking to the Yorkshire Evening Post, Gruev says the 20-year-old is always working so hard and believes he will become a fan favourite soon.
Gruev tips Joseph for fan favourite status
He said: “He’s a great guy. I see him every time in the gym, he’s working so hard for us. I think when you when you work so hard and you have this type of quality which he has, you will deserve your right to get more minutes.
“I think everybody saw how good he was when he played against Chelsea, great game from him and two goals. He has to keep keep working, keep pushing, he’s a young player. And if he keeps like this, I’m sure that he will get a lot of minutes here and the fans will enjoy him very much.”
Excitement is certainly building amongst supporters regarding the potential of Joseph and Daniel Farke hinted yesterday that if he continues performing like he is, a start won’t be far away.
Joseph changed the game from the bench against Stoke and was so unlucky not to score his first league goal, with his energy and hold-up play helping Leeds take back some sort of control.
Despite the pressured situation of the promotion race, Joseph does not seem fazed by it and hopefully between now and the end of the season, he is handed a start.
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