Leeds United head coach Daniel Farke has earned a terrific reputation for trusting and developing academy and young talents throughout his career.
The German boss unearthed a number of impressive youngsters during his previous spell in English football with Norwich City, including James Maddison, Max Aarons, Emiliano Buendia, Andrew Omobamidele, and Ben Godfrey, among others.
Whites supporters, therefore, had reason to be excited about the development of the club's prospects when the tactician arrived at Elland Road last summer.
The emergence of Archie Gray as a regular starter for Leeds, at the age of 17, this season has been a perfect example of Farke's faith in young players.
He has started 26 matches for the Whites in the Championship so far this term and has nailed down his position at right-back, although new signing Connor Roberts will now be hoping to put pressure on that.
However, the club did opt to cash in on one of their academy talents in January as forward Sean McGurk, who impressed at youth level, joined Swindon Town on a permanent basis.
The exciting young attacker caught the eye with his contributions in the academy and supporters may have questioned why the 20-year-old was allowed to depart.
Leeds can forget about and move on from McGurk, though, as they have another promising whiz in their academy set-up who could be Mateo Joseph 2.0 in 19-year-old gem Luca Thomas.
Mateo Joseph's first-team emergence
Another U21 starlet who has been given opportunities this season is Joseph. The centre-forward started against Plymouth Argyle in the FA Cup on Tuesday and has emerged as a genuine first-team option.
He did not register a goal or an assist for the side in his 81 minutes on the pitch but that does not paint the full picture as there were plenty of positive signs throughout his performance.
Joseph was, for example, incredibly unfortunate not to score his first senior goal for Leeds as Conor Hazard pulled off a sensational save to tip the England U20 international's shot over the bar.
The Whites prospect brilliantly created a shooting opportunity by beating a defender in the box with a sharp shift of the ball and fired in a fizzing effort that looked bound for the top corner, only for the goalkeeper to get a hand to it.
He looked energetic and eager to make a positive impression on Farke in his time on the pitch, and could be gutted not to have found the back of the net.
Joseph, who has made seven appearances in the Championship this season, was prolific at U21 level with a return of 19 goals in 33 matches for the club's academy.
The 20-year-old marksman caught Farke's eye with his return and has earned himself ten senior outings under the German boss, which – along with his start on Tuesday – suggests that he is doing enough to maintain a position in the first-team squad.
McGurk, however, seemingly did not do enough to earn himself a chance to impress in the Championship or the cup competitions before his move to Swindon.
McGurk's academy form for Leeds
The 20-year-old winger joined Leeds from Wigan in the summer of 2021 and had been in solid form for the club's U21 side during the first half of the campaign.
He racked up four goals and three assists in eight Premier League 2 matches for the U21s, which shows that the young talent was consistently contributing at the top end of the pitch.
That impressive form is what could have caused supporters to possibly question why McGurk joined League Two side Swindon on a permanent deal in January.
However, his performances this season did come off the back of two relatively unimpressive seasons for Leeds at that level and the club may have felt that his attacking exploits this term were a flash in the pan.
McGurk produced three goals and one assist in 19 Premier League 2 games throughout the 2021/22 campaign and followed that up with three goals and one assist in 15 matches the following term.
In total, the former Wigan starlet scored ten goals and provided seven assists in 48 U21 appearances in all competitions during his time at Elland Road, which is a return of one goal involvement every 2.82 outings on average.
Luca Thomas' first-team potential
Leeds supporters should not worry too much about the sale of McGurk as the Whites may already have their next Joseph to emerge in the first-team as an attacking option in U21 star Thomas.
The 19-year-old ace is a versatile forward who can play in a multitude of positions across the front line; centre-forward, right wing, left wing, and attacking midfield.
That versatility could increase his chances of breaking into Farke's squad as he has the ability to provide cover in multiple areas of the pitch, rather than being limited to one or two positions.
Appearances
32
Goals
23
Assists
Three
As you can see in the table above, Thomas burst onto the scene at U18 level with a phenomenal record in front of goal, which included 22 goals in 29 U18 Premier League appearances.
The teenage gem has been a regular for the U21s so far this season and has contributed with four goals and one assist in eight Premier League 2 clashes.
Thomas, who U21 commentator Thomas Hill hailed for his "class" display against Brighton, has not racked up as many goal involvements as McGurk, who had two more assists, but his output for the U18s may suggest that his form is more sustainable in the long-term.
The academy dynamo has consistently delivered, across multiple age groups, in front of goal, as shown by the aforementioned statistics, and adapted to each step up.
Whereas, McGurk's first two seasons at U21 level left a lot to be desired and his overall body of work did not suggest that he was likely to make a big impact in the first-team, hence his move to League Two.
Thomas, on the other hand, has consistently showcased his attacking quality for the U18s and the U21s and should now target the senior squad as his next step, as he could be the next Mateo Joseph to emerge from the academy as a forward option for Farke and Leeds.
