Mateo Joseph says £7m Leeds player has actually helped him so much behind-the-scenes

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Mateo Joseph is knocking on the door to be handed his first ever league start for Leeds United.

Both of Joseph’s starts so far this season have come in the FA Cup but his level of impact from the bench just continues to grow and a full league debut cannot be far away.

The 20-year-old was able to salvage Leeds a point at Watford on Good Friday just a matter of seconds after entering the pitch, which was his first ever professional league goal.

He had, of course, already got off the mark for Leeds at Chelsea in February with a really impressive brace in a 3-2 defeat, showing exactly what he can do when given the chance.

Since then, Joseph’s confidence has visibly grown in all of his cameos. He was key to Leeds seeing out a 1-0 win over Stoke City in March, and also helped change the game against Hull City on Monday.

Joseph says £7m Leeds player has actually helped him so much behind-the-scenes

Prior to this season, Joseph’s only start for the club came in a Carabao Cup defeat at Wolves towards the back end of 2022. However, it is fair to say he has grown so much physically since then.

As a young player in a situation as pressurised as Leeds’ promotion push right now, Joseph will be relying on some of the older, more experienced heads to guide him through.

That said, Joseph has shown no signs he is feeling the pressure whenever he has played, with both of his FA Cup starts showing exactly what he can do.

And speaking on the Official Leeds United Podcast, Joseph has cited his rival for that number nine spot in Patrick Bamford as someone who has really helped build his confidence behind-the-scenes.

He said: “Yeah, as I said before in my last interview, Patrick Bamford before the Plymouth and Chelsea games, he came to me to give me some tips for my confidence and rhythm of the game. He helped me a lot and I am really grateful, I told him.

“Then players like Junior Firpo and Liam Cooper gave me confidence before the games, and told me I just have to be like in training and will be more than fine. It’s good to have confidence from players like them who have achieved a lot in their careers.”

Joseph could now be about to take Bamford’s place at Leeds

Bamford’s performances since the international break, for whatever reason, have completely fallen off a cliff, but he will always be a leader for many in the dressing room.

The £7 million man has so much experience of the ups and downs in football, and it is not the first time he has been singled out as being really helpful towards the younger players.

However, at this stage of the season, form is crucial and there is no doubt Joseph is the one producing the better displays, even in less game time, at the moment.

Daniel Farke should surely bite the bullet on Saturday and hand him his first chance to start in the league, considering the level of impact he has made recently.