Exciting: Journalist wowed by Leeds U23 gem who 'caught the eye' despite heavy loss

Beren Cross praised Leeds United youngster Mateo Joseph despite the club’s U23s losing 5-1 to West Ham United in the Premier League Cup.

The Whites were in action against the Hammers at Rush Green as they looked to progress to the quarter-finals of the competition. Unfortunately, it was not a positive afternoon for the West Yorkshire outfit, as they were second-best against an ultimately more experienced outfit.

However, Joseph, who arrived from Espanyol during the January transfer window, was a bright spark and actually put Leeds ahead early on. Journalist Cross was pleased with what he saw from the 18-year-old, writing on Twitter: “More settled and experienced side run out winners, but Joseph caught the eye with finish and work rate. Looks to have settled quickly after that January move.”

TIF Thoughts on Mateo Joseph

Joseph is something of an unknown, having arrived just three months ago and yet to make his first-team debut at Leeds. 14 goals in 21 appearances for Espanyol’s U18s last term and a hat-trick against Barcelona show he has plenty of talent and could be a real asset.

In recent years, Leeds have made a concrete effort to bring in younger players in the hope they will progress into the first team. Pascal Struijk, Illan Meslier and Joe Gelhardt are just some of the youngsters to have already made an impact under Marcelo Bielsa and Jesse Marsch, while Lewis Bate is another who could make himself known in the years to come.

Leeds do need to find a balance between experience and youth. Only four sides have a younger squad than Leeds, and a lack of experience perhaps explains their Premier League position – they currently lie 16th, just nine points above the relegation zone. Players like Joseph certainly have a