Mateo Joseph key to Leeds United promotion hopes after Dan James injury update
Leeds United youngster Mateo Joseph could capitalise on the unfortunate recent injury to Daniel James to stake his claim for a place in the side.
The club announced on Tuesday evening (23 April) that James will not be present for their trip to the capital to face Queen’s Park Rangers on Friday (26 April).
A late upper-body injury suffered against Middlesbrough means the Welshman could be sidelined for Leeds’ remaining couple of games of the season.
While that is obviously a blow to the Whites, it does provide an opportunity for Joseph to step up the pekcing order and show what he can do.
Could Mateo Joseph play a role in Leeds’ promotion push?
The 20-year-old burst onto the scene with a fine double at Stamford Bridge in the FA Cup back in February, when Daniel Farke’s cup rotation handed the attacker a rare start.
Game time has been harder to come by since, with brief cameos all Joseph has had to work with, but he again proved his worth with a late equaliser against Watford at the end of March.
Joseph has played only 45 minutes of football since, though, and was unable to get on the pitch at all against Boro on Monday (22 April), as Leeds have had a fully fit frontline over the past few weeks.
However, the young Spaniard has been given more minutes than the likes of Jaidon Anthony and Joe Gelhardt from the bench, meaning he could play a role in Leeds’ final two games.
Following the trip to QPR, Farke’s men host Southampton on the final day, and with Ipswich Town breathing down their necks, wins in both may be necessary.
Strength in depth could be hugely important if Leeds are to get over the line, and Joseph has already proven his value to the squad in recent months, so he could be the wildcard that Farke turns to to complement their other attacking options.
In other Leeds news, Neil Warnock says who he wants to see win the Championship this season.
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