Joe Gelhardt loving life at Leeds United as teen reflects on journey so far and future ambitions - YEP 16/4/22

Joe Gelhardt had big reservations about Elland Road upon his first steps inside Leeds United’s famous ground as a player.

By Lee Sobot

In a Championship clash of February 2020, a 17-year-old Gelhardt was on the Wigan Athletic bench and the teenage forward was more than happy to stay there.

Gelhardt explained: “It’s the only one game where I’ve thought, ‘I don’t want to come on here’ because it was absolutely rocking.”

The striker didn’t come on but Wigan Athletic still won although it didn’t stop the Latics from going down and the Whites from going up as champions.

Then, come the summer, Gelhardt became a Leeds United player.

Two years on from wanting to stay on the Wigan bench, the irony is that Leeds United’s fans are now continually calling for the teen to be brought off the Whites one.

Times have certainly changed for the 19-year-old forward who is loving every minute of life at Leeds and now warmly embraces the motivational Elland Road roar.

Casting his mind back to before his Whites move had even materialised, Gelhardt told the YEP: “The first time I went to Elland Road I was playing against them and that’s when I first experienced the atmosphere.

“I was like, ‘Oh my God!’

“I’ve told a few of the lads, it’s the only one game where I’ve thought, ‘I don’t want to come on here’ because it was absolutely rocking.

“But when I made my Leeds debut at Elland Road, the noise was just crazy.

"It can be like a 12th man and you don’t get tired when they’re roaring and you just want to please them as much as possible.

“You hear them and they are roaring when you come on, there was one game where I was like, ‘Oh my God, these fans are crazy!’

“All it does is help you when you’re on the pitch.

"You don’t get tired, you want to run that extra yard for them, you want to do more for them so they’re happy and they can enjoy their weekend if we get a good result.

“I know people say, ‘the fans helped us,’ like as a cliche but with these fans they really do.

“When they’re screaming at the end of a game you’re just pushing and pushing and you just want to score or get a goal to make them happy as much as possible.”

Twice already this season at Elland Road, Gelhardt has done exactly that after being brought on from the Whites bench.

On his home and Premier League debut, the striker was introduced as a 62nd-minute substitute by former boss Marcelo Bielsa in October’s hosting of Wolves and the teen capped an explosive display by winning a 90th-minute penalty.

Record signing Rodrigo converted the spot kick to seal a last gasp 1-1 draw and send Elland Road wild and Gelhardt then bagged his first goal for Leeds two months later when netting what looked set to be an 83rd-minute equaliser at Chelsea only for the Blues to take all three points through Jorginho’s late penalty.

But Gelhardt then sparked scenes of a different level entirely another three months on via his first goal at Elland Road as part of an epic afternoon at LS11.

By then, Leeds were under the care of new boss Jesse Marsch following the sacking of promotion winning hero Bielsa and Marsch’s relegation-battling side looked to have thrown away two precious points as Kenny McLean bagged a 91st-minute leveller for bottom of the table Norwich City.

But Gelhardt had other ideas, the teen winning a header on the halfway line to set Raphinha away down the right and then racing into the box to convert his cross for the most dramatic of late winners in the 94th minute.

Elland Road truly erupted and even now the young forward is struggling to comprehend quite what went on.

“I can’t remember it!” he smiled.

“When something happens like that, like even against Chelsea when I scored, I can’t remember it. It’s just a blur.

“I remember heading it but I didn’t look at the ball, I was just looking at the man and then it came off my head and I was like ‘oh my God.’

“Then I saw Rapha and I thought he was going to score so I didn’t move and then he took it round and I thought ‘God I am going to have to get in the box now’ and then the rest from there was just a blur, I can’t remember it!”

Gelhardt, though, is creating memories that will last a lifetime and the teen is keeping himself firmly grounded around all the hype.

The Liverpool-born forward had already been compared to a young Wayne Rooney before signing for Leeds and the teen’s superb performances for United’s under-23s since joining have created a clamour for the striker to be given more minutes for the first team and now starts.

In February, FourFourTwo Magazine then named Gelhardt as the 33rd most exciting teenager in world football as part of a list topped by Borussia Dortmund’s England international teenager Jude Bellingham.

At just 18 years of age, Bellingham incredibly already has 12 senior caps to his name but Gelhardt’s youth international progress is impressive in its own right, the Leeds striker having netted for his country at under-16s, 17s, 18s and 20s level and making the under-21s squad for the first time last October.

The forward’s recent progress has been slightly held back by recent small injury niggles and a false positive Covid test but Gelhardt recently returned to full training and the teen is eyeing a strong end to the campaign.

Thereafter, the striker known affectionately as Joffy has a relaxed approach when it comes to his future ambitions and in any case his exceptional explosive talent will more than take care of those.

“I just take it as it comes,” said the teenage striker, asked about his long term goals and the obvious dream of playing for England.

“I don’t try and pressure myself too much and I just take it day by day and see how stuff goes.

"But I think every kid when they dream if they want to be a footballer they want to play for England, they want to represent their country so I think that’s a goal of everyone to be fair.”

Pausing to assess his journey so far as his 20th birthday looms next month, Gelhardt reasoned: “I think from when I joined Leeds I think my time has gone quite quick.

“It felt like a few weeks ago when I joined so that’s a positive that has gone quick.

“I have enjoyed all of my time and I’m coming up to 20 now. It’s gone quickly.

"Even from when I broke into Wigan’s team when I was like 17 it has just gone in a flash so I want to try and savour every moment.

“I have enjoyed every minute that I have been at Leeds and that was my goal, to play in the Premier League for them and that’s happened more this season.

"I have got a bit unfortunate with my injuries recently but that happens in football, you have just got to get over it and I have got to try and keep myself fresh for the next few games and the big run in.”