Journalist highlights Mateo Joseph chance after Ian Poveda makes Leeds United decision
Mateo Joseph has a “golden opportunity” to stake a claim in the Leeds United first team following a decision made by teammate Ian Poveda, according to Yorkshire Evening Post journalist Joe Donnohue.
The 20-year-old forward was expected to have more of a prominent role in the team after Daniel Farke was “quietly impressed” by him in pre-season but an untimely ankle injury hindered his progress.
As such he has yet to feature in the Championship this term but Poveda will jet out to feature in friendlies for Colombia this month, leaving the door open for Joseph to muscle his way into the squad.
“Ian Poveda’s mid-season decision to join Colombia for international friendly fixtures against Venezuela and Mexico this month could hand Leeds United forward Mateo Joseph a golden opportunity to stake a first-team claim under Daniel Farke,” Donnohue wrote in the YEP on Tuesday (5 December).
“The 47-year-old was quietly impressed by his England youth international forward during pre-season and considered him one of three centre-forward options, prior to Joel Piroe’s arrival, but an ankle injury on the cusp of the new campaign ruled Joseph out for a month, putting paid to any hopes he may have had of convincing Farke to bestow upon him a major role from the get-go.”
Make the most of it
It really was the most unfortunate time for Joseph to have got injured shortly before the season started and he will feel that it was a chance missed to really stake a place in the Leeds squad, even if not as a regular starter.
Farke has since settled on a pretty regular front four of Georginio Rutter, Joel Piroe, Daniel James, and Crysencio Summerville, with the likes of Patrick Bamford and Wilfried Gnonto lining the bench.
But Bamford and Gnonto have done little to press their own claims and nor really has Poveda, who now faces an uncertain future given he is soon to be entering the final six months of his contract.
With December and January a traditionally busy time in the English football calendar, there is going to be the need to rotate and refresh, meaning Joseph have the chance to get back into the first-team reckoning. It’s a chance he’ll have to be ready to grasp.
In other Leeds United news, fans will surely rage at this record-breaking news over the past 48 hours.