Tyler Adams opens up on 'weird' Back to the Future Leeds United moment with young Whites hopeful - YEP 28/7/22

Tyler Adams has had his very own Back to the Future moment since arriving at Leeds United.

By Graham Smyth

A £20m summer signing from RB Leipzig, Adams got to know his new team-mates a lot better during a two-week tour of Australia that forced them all together in hotels, coaches and long-haul flights.

Head coach Jesse Marsch was not someone he needed to spark up a friendship with, having worked under the head coach at two previous clubs - New York Red Bulls and RB Leipzig.

Their relationship was fully formed long before they were reunited at Elland Road.

"He's given me an opportunity to start my professional career and I always owe him that," said Adams.

"We have a very good relationship. He's very hard on me. He wants me to continue to improve and continue to have that hunger and that's why I was so keen to work under him again, because he pushes my limits. He pushes me to a certain point where you have to continually come in, continuing to earn his respect and the players' respect and that's something I want to work on."

It's not all that easy to imagine Marsch being very hard on someone. In public and in private he's a relentless source of positivity and the 'nice guy' tag that follows him around looked far more persona than act Down Under as he quite happily gave his time to whoever requested it, be that Aussie Whites looking for selfies and autographs or Brisbane Roar boss Warren Moon looking for a football conversation.

That seems to be the way with Marsch. A Leeds United Foundation coach got in touch with the American last season with a request to pick his brains - more in hope than expectation - and duly received an invite to the head coach's Thorp Arch office for a sit-down chat.

He's no easy touch though, says Adams.

"Jesse's a great guy and a great guy to work with but if he needs to get his point across he gets his point across," the midfielder said.

"He can raise his voice and enforce whether it's his tactics, what he's feeling, what he thinks you should have done but he can always have a dialogue so if you have an opinion, getting it across is important, having a real conversation man to man.

"But he can have a debate."

It was Marsch who brought Adams into the world of senior professional football, so the pair have evidently seen eye-to-eye on sufficient occasions for the midfielder to happily keep signing for him.

At Leeds, the 23-year-old is relishing the chance to watch on as Marsch gives another their big chance.

Last week in Perth the former RB Leipzig man spent a long time after training kicking a ball around with 16-year-old Archie Gray.

"I think Archie is going to have some big opportunities coming up this season," said Adams.

"Obviously, he's still so young, but getting that experience is going to be important for him. When he's on the field, he's just himself, you can see he has that confidence, a little bit of arrogance through him and that's what you need as a young player. And Jesse wants these types of players. He's going to give him opportunities as long as he's working hard, continuing to try to improve.

"It feels weird because that was like me when I first met Jesse and obviously he gave me that opportunity to sign and start my professional career so Archie seems to be, not following in my footsteps, but he's going to have a great career."