Leeds reunion looms for Marsch and Adams

Leeds United’s interest in signing Tyler Adams from RB Leipzig was more than predictable because the United States international is much more than just a former player for Jesse Marsch. The bond between them was forged many years ago.

That was clear when speaking to Marsch in 2020 during his time in charge of Red Bull Salzburg. The topic of conversation inevitably shifted towards Erling Haaland. It was Marsch who soon shifted it back towards a teenage talent from his homeland.

"I have worked with a tonne of talented players," he told Sky Sports.

"But the ones that right away you can see they have something, it is everything to do with their mentality, to do with what they consider success. It is the work they do on a daily basis, their love of improvement, their love of competitiveness, their fearlessness.

"Honestly, the first player that I ever coached who I saw that in was Tyler Adams. I met him when he was 15-years-old. I watched him play a game. I had a 10-minute conversation with him after the game and I said to myself, 'This kid is going to be massive.'

"At 15, it was so easy to see that he had the tools, mostly from a mental and intelligence perspective, to do whatever it takes. Obviously, they need to be steeped in talent but it ends up being more about their mindset than it does about their actual talent."

The pair were in New York at the time. Marsch was the New York Red Bulls head coach. Adams was in the academy there. His potential was so obvious to Marsch that he gave him his first-team debut for the club in a friendly against Chelsea aged just 16.

Adams not only played but scored in a 4-2 win and made his MLS debut the following year. Speaking to him in 2021 about Marsch's role in his development, he does