Chris
Darko Gyabi and Mateo Joseph have not been given a look-in since Daniel Farke took charge of Leeds United, but they now have a chance to showcase their talents on the international stage.
The young pair were named in the England Under-20 squad on Friday (5 October) for the Young Lions’ upcoming games against Romania and Portugal.
Gyabi featured fairly regularly in Leeds’ matchday squads in the Premier League last season, and even played a part against his former side Manchester City, but he has been restricted to less than a minute of action for the first team this campaign.
It has been a similar story for Joseph, who played three times in the top flight last season but zero times in the Championship across the opening couple of months of this campaign.
Instead, both players have had to make do with appearances for the Under-21 sides, begging the question of exactly why didn’t they join clubs on loan in the summer?
That topic will no doubt be raised again as we approach the January window, with interested clubs likely keeping tabs on the talented pair.
Gyabi and Joseph will potentially have a chance to show what they are capable of when England U20s take on Romania and Portugal over the next fortnight.
It is tough to answer whether either have a long-term future at Elland Road, but best case scenario would surely be a loan move in the second half of the campaign with a view to reevaluating the situation next summer?
Considering they both have Premier League minutes under their belts, they cannot be left to effectively rot at U21 level.
It is now over to the pair to show Farke that they can at the very least provide a good back-up option from the bench for the first team for the time being.
