The international break could well have come for Leeds United at the worst possible time, killing any momentum that was potentially building after the Whites had finally found their feet this season.
Two draws and a defeat in all competitions was a nightmare start for Daniel Farke's men, but that has since been forgotten about with two wins on the spin in the Championship, with the second-tier promotion hopefuls now up to a promising fourth spot in the early league standings.
Mateo Joseph has been a bright spark across those two wins, with Farke and Co hopeful that their young Spanish hotshot can continue to lead the line effectively, even during more tense contests to come down the line.
Joseph's rise at Leeds
This does feel like the season where Joseph really comes into his own in the senior fold, removed from the comforts of U21 football and unleashed onto the Championship in full force.
Bagging 19 goals for the U21s across 33 games, it was only a matter of time before Farke began to regularly play him from the start in the men's games, having been the manager to give Archie Gray his big break last campaign.
He hasn't quite been as free-flowing in front of goal as in his golden youth days yet, but his instinctive finish against Hull City saw him finally get off the mark for the new second-tier campaign, after cleverly connecting with Manor Solomon's cross.
It has actually been Joseph's creativity that has stood out over his ability to rifle an effort home, with two assists managed from four league games, as both of those assists allowed Leeds to win away at Sheffield Wednesday 2-0 to secure their first three points.
Far more muscular and confident in appearance than the youthful Joseph that fired home two excellent strikes away at Chelsea in the FA Cup last season, the still raw Whites number 19 will hope he can develop even more and become an even deadlier finisher the men's team can rely on in big moments.
Thorp Arch talent Luca Thomas will take inspiration from Joseph's rise from being once an U21 goal machine to now a member of Farke's main XI and aim to replicate it as a potent goalscorer himself at youth level.
Thomas' statistics at youth level
Thomas has been a consistent source of goals in the U18 and U21 structures for some time now, with the audacious strike against Newcastle United below happening all the way back in January 2023.
Across 56 games, the clinical 19-year-old attacker has helped himself to a very impressive goal return of 30, with Joseph only scoring 20 from 37 clashes when he was exclusively strutting his stuff on youth pitches.
24/25
2
2
0
23/24
18
6
4
22/23
19
7
1
21/22
17
15
2
Already accumulating two goals from two appearances during the infancy of the new Premier League 2 campaign, it feels like only a matter of time before the "class" youngster – as he was labelled by Leeds U21s commentator Thomas Hill last year – gets his moment to shine in the senior spotlight.
In The Pipeline
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Capable of playing down either flank, as well as terrifying defenders as a centre-forward, Farke could grow to love having Thomas in and around the first-team, having also taken a shining to Gray last season for his flexibility to slot into spaces in the side when needed.
Joseph's story at Elland Road is only starting, away from any young stars aiming to replicate his ascent, with the 20-year-old keen to fire in more goals moving forward that could see the Whites triumphantly return to the Premier League.
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1 ByDan EmerySep 4, 2024