Mateusz Klich has told Canal+ – as per Polish site Weszlo – that he decided to leave Leeds United because of a lack of game time at Elland Road, joining Wayne Rooney’s MLS side DC United. Klich has since impressed in the United States.
Klich, 32, left Leeds after five and a half years at the club. Joining Leeds in the summer of 2017, he struggled in his first season. But after the arrival of Marcelo Bielsa, the Poland star went from zero to club icon. He played 195 times for us.
Renowned for his ability to score from long range, and even having a song sung in his honour, Klich was crucial in our return to the Premier League. He had a hand in 45 goals during his Leeds stint, but his last season was not a good one.
Jesse Marsch brought in Marc Roca and Tyler Adams last summer and it saw Klich fall down the pecking order. He did not start a single League game during the first half of 22/23 – and it saw Klich miss out on Poland’s World Cup squad.
It saw Klich make the tough decision to leave Leeds – leading to an emotional farewell at Elland Road. He scored on his DC debut, smashing an effort in from 20 yards in a 3-2 win over Toronto. He opened up on his Leeds exit in January.
“I certainly could have stayed, but you don’t know how my story with the new coach turned out. I wanted to play a lot. I wasn’t happy playing 10-15 minutes. I wanted to be an important part of the team,” Klich told Canal+, as per Weszlo.
“Despite Leeds’ problems, I was one of the few who didn’t start a single league game. Various ideas began to appear, and finally I decided to take a very difficult and brave step. I decided to leave because I like playing football too much.”
Mateusz Klich decided to leave Leeds because of a lack of game time
It was desperately sad to see a legend of the modern Leeds era leave in the way he did. Clearly unhappy at a lack of game time that eventually saw him miss out on a place in Qatar, Klich left because of Marsch’s failure to start him.
Was Marsch right not to start him? That is up for debate. Klich’s form had dipped since the first season in the Premier League. But, he still had an impact from the bench and probably deserved to have a go in the starting line-up.
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