Joe Gelhardt makes honest Leeds United admission as he opens up on Elland Road exit

Joe Gelhardt will forever be a case of what might have been at Leeds United.

Signed as prodigious teenager from Wigan Athletic, there was a hope that Leeds had a real talent on their hands.

Indeed, Gelhardt's early days at Elland Road showed plenty of promise under Marcelo Bielsa.

However, Gelhardt was never really able to kick on at Leeds, and was sent on loan to Sunderland for the second half of the 2022-23 campaign.

He struggled for game time upon his return to Leeds, and consequently enjoyed a couple of loan spells at Hull City.

The Tigers signed the 24-year-old on a permanent deal in the summer, and he has opened up on his exit from Leeds.

What did Joe Gelhardt admit about Leeds United?

Gelhardt's future was a little unclear over the summer months.

His move to Hull was a bit of a "will he, won't he?" situation, and at one stage it looked like he was headed to Birmingham City.

However, in the end Hull got the deal over the line, and they forked out £6.5million to bring Gelhardt to the MKM Stadium.

Gelhardt arrived at Hull, who he helped win promotion to the Premier League last season, nursing an ankle injury, but has now returned to action, scoring one goal in four outings across all competitions.

In quotes reported by the Hull Daily Mail, Gelhardt honestly admitted he did not realise the size of club Leeds were when he joined.

Gelhardt said: "At the start, I think I was 18, very young, going to a club - I didn't know how big Leeds were when I first joined.

"I'd say it was a successful first two years, and then not so much at the end. I didn't play much, but that's football, and that happens.

"I went on loan a few times here, twice, Sunderland once, I think it was the right decision for both parties to cut off early.

"For me personally, I think it was the perfect situation. I knew I weren't gonna play at Leeds, and I wanted to be back here at Hull, and they knew that as well, so then for it to actually happen was the perfect scenario for me."

What could have been for Joe Gelhardt at Leeds

It is quite a refreshing admission from Gelhardt, and you have to remember how young he was.

Gelhardt was only a teenager when he moved to Elland Road, and still had that youthful exuberance about him.

The shame is really that he was never able to build on the promise he showed under Bielsa in those early days.

It was apparent that he was never going to fully break into the first-team fold at Elland Road, and ultimately it was the right decision to let him move on.

Hopefully he doesn't enjoy much luck against Leeds this season, but ultimately there should be no ill will towards him.