Daniel Farke believes Leeds United’s Mateo Joseph can captain his team this season based on his current play.
Joseph, 20, is expected to play in the 2024/25 season as Leeds seeks promotion to the Premier League once more.
Speaking to Leeds Live on July 26, Farke revealed that Joseph had been “impressive” throughout their German pre-season training.
“If I had to judge it right now, it’s because his preseason has been extremely remarkable. “I’ve enjoyed all three games he’s played,” Farke remarked.
“He was involved in goals and contributed not only to them, but also to his maturity and workload. He returned after a short vacation in good form, and this is the basement.
“You could tell from the first day that he had used the break to get in better shape, and this is always a basement, especially for young players, because we have competition.”
“It’s good for his confidence if he delivers like this and he’s definitely on a really good path, yes.”
Mateo Joseph could be crucial to Leeds United’s Premier League chances this season.
Before pre-season began, it was evident that Farke saw Joseph as Leeds’ future.
This is because Spain wants to call up the boy to represent his country at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
However, the West Yorkshire club declined his request [Joe Donnohue, 17 June], preferring him to continue with the club and push his claim for a starting berth.
Leeds do have Patrick Bamford and Joel Piroe on their roster, but the former is prone to injuries [Graham Smyth, 25 July], and the latter has struggled to regain the form he displayed when at Swansea.
There is no doubt that if fit, Bamford will be the club’s first-choice striker; nevertheless, given his injury history, he is not someone Leeds can rely on week in and week out.
This season might be a watershed point in the 20-year-old’s career, and if he makes an impression, he could end up leading the line for a Premier League team in 2025/26.
