Mateo Joseph made a vow to Leeds United supporters in the summer that this would be his season.
Joseph will have undoubtedly ended the 2023/24 campaign wanting more after not being handed a single league start, despite netting twice away at Chelsea in March.
Even when both Joel Piroe and Patrick Bamford were struggling, Daniel Farke resisted the urge to throw Joseph into an intense promotion battle, but thankfully for Leeds, the Spaniard opted to use it as fuel for motivation.
Joseph posted a selection of images on his Instagram of the individual training work he was doing over the off-season, which allowed him to hit the ground running in pre-season with four goals in as many friendlies.
That run of form prompted Farke to promote him to Leeds’ starting nine, something which Joseph insisted he would become in an interview over the summer.
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Joseph sheds light on Leeds pre-season chat
Leeds‘ decision not to sign an out-and-out striker during the transfer window was a huge show of the belief in which they have in Joseph.
No supporter would’ve argued against bringing one in, considering Bamford’s persistent struggles with his fitness, and Piroe failing to make an impact whenever he has led the line.
Joseph could quite easily have thrown his toys out of the pram at how the end of last season went for him, but speaking in an interview with journalist Jonathan Ramos, he has shed some light on the conversations he had with the club over pre-season.
Considering what both Archie Gray and Wilfried Gnonto have done in Leeds’ first team as teenagers, Joseph will have known how important it is to play regular senior football now he is 20.
And according to Joseph, Leeds held conversations with him pretty quickly in pre-season regarding his hopes for the year ahead, where he made it clear he would make this season his own.
He said: “Very good, very good. They asked me in the preseason how I saw this year and I am convinced that it will be my year. I think I have worked hard for it and when there is no choice but to get what one wants and what one desires, it is achieved.”
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Bournemouth star hails Joseph as ‘Leeds’ MVP’
It would appear Joseph’s performances at Elland Road are not going unnoticed by those around him, which can only be even more of a confidence boost for him.
Bournemouth star Dean Huijsen is one of the players Joseph is currently away with on international duty for Spain U21s, and he decided to gate-crash his interview.
While doing so, Huijsen is jokingly said to have blurted out ‘Leeds‘ MVP’ while Joseph was attempting to answer a question.
And in fairness to Joseph, if the player of the season award was to be done tomorrow, he would not be far off winning it.
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