Forgotten Leeds United forward Mateo Joseph sends 18-word injury recovery update

Leeds United fans can be forgiven for forgetting Mateo Joseph is still on the books at Elland Road.

Joseph made a big impression early on in West Yorkshire after arriving from Espanyol in January 2022.

The now-22-year-old memorably scored a couple of goals away at Chelsea in the FA Cup in February 2024 - but that was as good as things got.

They were two of just six goals Joseph scored in 73 appearances for the Whites.

That led to a loan exit to Real Mallorca last season, with whom he made 30 appearances prior to being struck down by injury in the latter part of the campaign.

That injury saw a permanent exit for Joseph this summer fall through, meaning he is still technically a Leeds player for now.

What is latest with Mateo Joseph's Leeds United recovery?

Joseph was arguably the most eye-catching inclusion in Leeds' Premier League squad that was submitted earlier this month.

It means Daniel Farke can call upon the former Spain Under-21 international should he wish.

That will only be a consideration once he is back from injury, though.

Joseph sustained an ACL injury in early April, with the layoff for an injury of that type usually between nine to 12 months.

Realistically, then, Joseph is still another month or so away from a return to the grass.

But the young forward has now taken to Instagram to provide an update on his recovery and what he has been doing in his downtime.

"Recovery mode, but still making the most of it. Good moments, good energy and plenty to look forward," he posted, alongside a series of images showing him travelling around various places.

Tellingly, there were no images of him training as he is not that advanced in his comeback yet, but the caption "back soon" was included.

Who did Joseph look likely to join in the summer?

Joseph was pictured in Mallorca in the summer, leading to suggestions he could still sign for the Spanish side.

However, that was never realistically going to happen while he is out of action for the long term.

The Spaniard is due to be out of contract at Elland Road in the summer, and it is fair to assume Leeds will not be offering fresh terms.

The best-case scenario is that Joseph gets fit in time for the New Year and potentially gets some minutes in the early rounds of the FA Cup.

Otherwise, it may well be a case of building up his fitness with the age-grade sides before moving on next summer.