Mateo Joseph has been radiating confidence ever since his first two goals for Leeds United in March.
In just his second start of the season and third ever for the club, Joseph netted a brace at Stamford Bridge in a 3-2 FA Cup defeat away at Chelsea.
Having shown what he can do in bits and pieces, that was the night Joseph really announced himself as a Leeds player, yet is still waiting for his first league start.
29 of Joseph‘s 32 appearances for Leeds have come as a substitute and his level of impact off the bench towards the end of last season just seemed to get better and better, one of which included a crucial late equaliser at Watford.
Daniel Farke was urged to give Joseph an opportunity from the start on numerous occasions from March onwards, but after resisting the urge to do so, won’t be given such a luxury this time around.
Journalist shares what she noticed about Joseph
It has not taken Joseph long in pre-season to show exactly what he is about, in what is arguably the perfect time to do so with Patrick Bamford out injured.
Joseph worked extremely hard over the summer to ensure he was ready to return and hit the ground running at Leeds, which is exactly what he has done.
After shining as Leeds’ best player with an assist at Harrogate, he then scored twice in Wednesday’s 4-1 win over Hannover in Germany.
Clearly the 20-year-old is full of self-belief right now and speaking on the latest One Leeds Fan Channel, journalist Nancy Froston says Joseph both looked and sounded full of confidence after interviewing him recently.
She said: “He obviously got those two goals against Chelsea and while we were interviewing him, he was getting all sorts of stick from Ethan Ampadu, saying stuff like, ‘talking about your two goals against Chelsea again?’ [laughs].
“Clearly he’s got a good rapport with some of the more senior players, I really think he’ll have a lot to offer this season and I hope he gets a proper crack with a good amount of minutes and starts.
“Speaking to him, he sat down and was like, ‘yeah I’m ready.’ He came across so well in terms of not arrogance, but absolute confidence in terms of what he can offer. He feels he’s ready for that role.”
Daniel Farke hints at Joseph start vs Portsmouth
Speaking after Leeds’ win over Hannover earlier this week, Farke was asked to give his thoughts on Joseph’s pre-season performances so far.
Farke isn’t usually one to give his players too much praise but certainly did not hold back on Joseph, admitting he is giving himself a huge opportunity to start on the opening day against Portsmouth.
He said: “If I have to judge it right now, then definitely because his pre-season is quite impressive. I’ve liked all the three games he has played.
“He was involved with goals and chipped in, not just with goals, also his maturity and also his workload. He came back out of a little break, on holiday, then he had a top, fit shape and this is the basement.
“You could really tell, from the first day, he has even used the break to bring himself into a better shape and this is always a basement, especially for young players because we have competition.
“Up front, right now, for the time Patrick is not available, perhaps, in pre-season, to get even more minutes. It’s good for his confidence if he delivers like this and he’s definitely on a really good path, yes.”
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