‘We believe’… International manager says 20-year-old Leeds player can be the future of his country

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Leeds United have a number of players set to jet off to represent their country over the next couple of weeks.

Daniel Farke would’ve undoubtedly preferred the majority of his squad to be resting during the break from league action ahead of the promotion run-in, but that is not the case.

Leeds’ Welsh quartet and Glen Kamara are set to come up against one another in a crucial EUROs play-off semi-final, but there are many others who will be flying all across the globe.

Both Archie Gray and Mateo Joseph are also set to represent England and Spain’s U21s respectively, too, with the latter having come in for some big praise after switching his allegiance.

Joseph had played for England’s U20s last summer but has now committed his future to Spain, and manager Santi Denia claimed in a press conference yesterday that the Leeds man can be the future of his country.

Joseph can be the future of Spain, says Denia

He said: “Well, Mateo, I think he was already on a pre-list when he was Under-19. I was in charge of the Under-19 team when he was in Spain.

“From there he went to Leeds, to England, and well, we followed him up, knowing that he had played in a [U20] World Cup with England. From there we have continued monitoring and we believe that he can give us things. He is also playing for Leeds, the other day he scored two goals and is in a good moment.

“We also believe in Mateo for the future, not for the U-21, which is important in these two games, but for the future of the federation I think it can be important.”

It feels like a long time since Spain were really blessed with a top striker and so this is definitely the right decision from Joseph’s point of view. Spain is also the country of his birth.

The 20-year-old undoubtedly has the potential to make the step up for Spain in the coming years, with his performance at Chelsea in the FA Cup clear evidence of what he can do when he starts.

Joseph will, of course, need more senior experience under his belt before he is considered for Spain’s senior side, and hopefully it is at Leeds where he can do that.