It’s fair to say Joe Gelhardt and Sam Greenwood know each other inside and out. The pair first played together on the international stage, representing England at Under-17s and U18s and they were no doubt delighted to come together once more at Leeds United.
Gelhardt and Greenwood both arrived at Elland Road in August 2020, from Wigan Athletic and Arsenal respectively, and since then they have progressed at a similar rate through the youth ranks and into the first-team picture. Given their role in the U23s last season, they both feature heavily in Amazon Prime’s new series ‘Academy Dreams: Leeds United’, which tells the story of the Whites’ 2021-22 Premier League 2 campaign.
The six-parter spends time focusing on both Greenwood and Gelhardt, with cameras travelling to their home towns to showcase their backgrounds and where they grew up. Greenwood is the star in the third episode and the 20-year-old can be seen wandering down memory lane in his hometown of Seaham.
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He also speaks about his relationship with Gelhardt and the almost telepathic connection they have built up over the years.
“The first day we met each other, we just clicked straight away, we’ve become basically best mates now,” Greenwood said on the Amazon show. “Sometimes I just know what he’s going to do when he’s dribbling with it.
“If I’ve got the ball I know what runs he’s going to make and I don’t even have to think about it, I can just pass it into him and he’s there to finish.
“We just sense each other being about the box. Obviously we’ve worked on that a lot in training and it’s only going to make it better.”
For Gelhardt, who started Leeds’ last senior match against Brentford in west London, the feeling is mutual, as the forward tips Greenwood to reach the top.
“I’ve known how he played since about 15 or 16 and he’s known how I play,” he can be heard saying. “Just that chemistry we have together, it helps us bond on the pitch as well.
"If I get the ball, for example, I know that he likes running in behind. He’s got all the attributes that’s needed, if he just works hard nothing is stopping him.”
Academy Dreams: Leeds United is available to watch on Amazon Prime now.
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