Injuries may have hampered Joe Gelhardt’s season just like so many of his Leeds United team-mates, but at long last, he feels fully fit and ready for this run-in. Jesse Marsch has repeatedly talked up Gelhardt’s claims to a start, but injuries, knocks and one false-positive Covid result have scotched the teenager’s training regime.
Every week it has felt like there has been a new issue coming between the striker and the top-flight minutes he so craves, but with a chance of more under-23 minutes tomorrow, Gelhardt is very much eyeing up Crystal Palace a week on Monday. In the continued absence of Patrick Bamford, Gelhardt’s under-23 brilliance and quality senior cameos have lined him up as the best alternative.
It’s a topic Marsch has been unafraid to address. There was the back spasm after his Norwich City heroics which ended his scheduled start at Molineux, before the false positive which ruined his preparation for Southampton and then a dead leg with the under-23s killed his chances for Watford.
READ MORE: Cody Drameh's given Leeds United the transfer ammunition he always backed himself to deliver
“I’ve just been getting a few knocks recently when I’ve been playing so I had a dead leg, I had a dead hamstring, I got kicked, [out for] a few days, but I’m fine now,” he said. “I’m in full training now.”
He remains philosophical about the minutes he could have had with a fairer hand dealt on the fitness front. He said: “I’ve enjoyed every minute I’ve been at Leeds and my goal was to play in the Premier League for them.
“That’s happened more this season and, as you say, I’ve got a bit unfortunate with my injuries recently, but that happens in football and you’ve just got to get over it and I’ve got to keep myself fresh for the run-in.”
Head of medicine and performance Rob Price was on hand during that under-23 win at Elland Road when he got kicked, to make the call and get him down the tunnel for treatment that night. That medical team has been crucial for the youngster.
“I’m all right with it (dealing with the setbacks),” he said. “The physios help you as well. They comfort you and you can be annoyed when it happens, but you speak to them and you see the bigger picture.”
And what of those wry smiles every week when Marsch has to explain how much he would love to be playing Gelhardt more, but circumstances get in the way? Gelhardt said: “It’s nice to hear, as a player, your manager believes in you like that, so when I’m training or when I come on, even for a few minutes, I just try to pay him back and show him why he’s given me that faith.”
The under-23s are away at Brighton & Hove Albion tomorrow and with the best part of a week between the first team’s Watford and Crystal Palace games, there is a good chance more minutes are in store for Gelhardt. He said: “I haven’t had much exposure to minutes.
“I’ve had a few knocks. I tried to get minutes with the 23s and I got injured, so I’m just going through a rough spell at the moment.
“Hopefully I can get through that and get as many minutes as possible because I love playing 23s football as much as the first team. I just like getting minutes and I just want to get fit and play as much as possible, so it’s important for me as well.”
