(Credit: Imago)

Jacob Raw

Fri 24 April 2026 17:40, UK Updated Fri 24 April 2026 18:26, UK

Mateo Joseph’s latest injury setback caps off what most Leeds United fans think has been a horrible loan spell with Mallorca, but that’s not the case.

The Whites sanctioned the loan exit of Joseph last summer, as he travelled back to his homeland of Spain to test himself in La Liga.

While he hasn’t been banging the goals in with the Spanish outfit, his knee injury has now confirmed that he will remain sidelined for the remainder of the campaign.

The 22-year-old is expected to return to Elland Road this summer, but most would say that he might not have a place under Daniel Farke in the Premier League.

While that may be true, Joseph can still improve at Leeds, but he may just need some more time.

Mateo Joseph has had to adapt for Mallorca, but all you read is numbers

Joseph has had a successful knee surgery, and it’s not yet known if he will be fit to play a part in pre-season, whether that be for Leeds or another club.

When looking at the striker’s stats for the season, it’s hard to imagine that he’s impressed any internal figures at LS11.

However, when applying context to Joseph’s season up until his injury, there are reasons that show it’s what it seems like on the surface of things.

Mallorca are three points away from the relegation zone, and have a budget that always meant they were going to struggle this season.

Their striker, Vedat Muriqi, has notched 21 goals in 31 league games, and Joseph had been pushed out wide because of this.

Yes, two goals aren’t enough as a forward anyway, but the Leeds loanee has an expected goal tally of 5.03, which suggests that if he can polish up his finish skills, he could become a top attacker.

While the stat shows an underperformance on the whole, Joseph has shown elite-level attacking movement in-game, which wouldn’t look out of place in the Premier League.

Leeds would make a mistake by selling Joseph to this club

Joseph could still have a future if the Whites were to test his ability out on loan at a club that promised to play him up front.

A stint in the Championship may have been good, and Wrexham of the second tier are now wanting to sign him, but permanently.

It would be a mistake for Leeds to sell this summer, especially considering his market value would be low right now.

It’s a low-risk move for the 49ers to keep him around for another year or two, as his ceiling is worth the gamble over what would be a cheap fee for a sale this summer.