Leeds United have a Premier League player in waiting and it isn't just Archie Gray: View | OneFootball

Leeds United striker Mateo Joseph has shown exactly why the club signed him as an 18-year-old in January 2022 with his recent FA Cup performances for the club.

He was brought to the club as one for the future just over two years ago after impressing in Espanyol's youth setup, and he has had to bide his time at Elland Road.

Despite relegation to the Championship being a disaster for many at the club, it was probably a blessing in disguise for Joseph and whilst he hasn't featured all too regularly in the league, he's performed excellently in recent FA Cup ties against Plymouth Argyle and Premier League giants Chelsea.

At 20, Joseph will only continue to get better, and has shown that he's able to make the step-up to the Premier League next season if the club are promoted.

Mateo Joseph's 2023/24 season at Leeds United

Joseph had made just four first-team appearances for the Whites prior to this season, and he had to bide his time for chance this season, too.

He didn't make a Championship appearance until the 9th December, and he's still yet to make a league start for the Whites this season, but he has started featuring from the bench more often in recent weeks.

Despite making over ten league appearances this season, he's played little over an hour when it comes to his minutes, with the likes of Georginio Rutter, Patrick Bamford and Joel Piroe all above him in the pecking order.

However, he started his first game for the club in the recent FA Cup game against Plymouth Argyle, and despite not finding the back of the net, he put in a good performance which would have put him in Daniel Farke's first-team plans.

That proved the case, and he was given his second Leeds start last week against Chelsea in the FA Cup.

Whilst Chelsea aren't what they used to be, they're still a Premier League powerhouse and Joseph starting was perhaps an indication that Leeds were prioritising their Championship promotion bid.

If ever there was a game to make a name for yourself in a Leeds shirt, it would be against Chelsea and Joseph proved he could be a future star for the Whites.

He played the full 90 minutes at Stamford Bridge, bagging two impressive goals and looked like a seasoned Premier League striker, not a youngster with just over an hour's worth of Championship football under his belt.

Whilst Archie Gray has gained most of the plaudits this season, and rightly so, Joseph appears to be another Leeds youngster who could become a future star at the very top of the game; he might not be at the same level as Gray, but his goals will catch the eye if they come regularly.

Mateo Joseph could be a Premier League star

To play the way he did at Stamford Bridge with minimal first-team experience shows that Joseph is a very talented young man.

The battle for him now is to play regular football, which looks unlikely given Leeds' embarrassment of riches in attack. It's a real shame for the striker that Leeds are out of the FA Cup as that was proving to be the ideal place for him to play regularly.

Not playing regularly will stunt the England youth international's development, so he will be hoping for cameos in the league before the season finishes, like the one on Tuesday night against Stoke City when he went close to scoring his first league goal on two occasions, having a shot cleared off the line after rounding the goalkeeper and flashing wide after cutting in from the left.

In hindsight, perhaps a January loan would have been a good move for Joseph, but on the other hand, he would not have been able to show what he's capable of in the FA Cup for Leeds if he had left on loan.

According to Fotmob, Joseph registered some impressive stats during his FA Cup appearances for the Whites. He scored twice from an xG of 1.09, registered seven shots, had a 71.8% pass accuracy and created three chances.

Joseph was a real surprise package in Leeds' run to the fifth round of the FA Cup and his performances would have only added to Farke's selection headache.

Leeds know that with Gray they've got a Premier League talent, but with more experience and exposure to elite football, there's absolutely no reason why Joseph can't become a Premier League standard player as well. If Leeds are promoted this season, Joseph may get the chance to show that next season.