Batteries fine with Mateusz Klich aiming to extend unbroken run and take Leeds United to Premier League

Nearly 21 months have passed since Polish international midfielder Mateusz Klich last failed to start a Leeds United league game.

The Pole was out on loan at FC Utrecht at the time, insisting United had made a mistake in sending him out to the Dutch Eredivisie.

The midfielder left insisting he would return to prove a point, and 77 consecutive league starts under Marcelo Bielsa has emphatically done exactly that.

Yet if Klich has his way, it will be 77 and counting with the Pole’s batteries, he says, showing so signs of draining.

Ahead of Saturday’s Championship hosting of Wigan Athletic, Marcelo Bielsa’s only league ever-present is now eyeing another 17 starts to take Leeds to the Premier League before then representing his country at the European Championships in the summer.

Klich has been perhaps the biggest success story of all under Bielsa with the Pole the only Leeds player to have started every single league game under the Argentinian head coach’s tenure, including last season’s play-offs clashes against Derby County.

Even including play-off matches, no other Championship player has made more league starts in that time with the Polish international’s fortunes having changed dramatically in the two and a half years that have followed his arrival from Dutch side FC Twente under former Whites head coach Thomas Christiansen in June 2017.

Only four league outings followed in Klich’s first five months with the Pole then deemed surplus to requirements under Christiansen and loaned to FC Utrecht.

The midfielder did not exactly agree with the decision to send him away.

“When we sent him out on loan, he came into my office and said, ‘you’re making a mistake and I’m going to prove you wrong’,” revealed Whites managing director Angus Kinnear in November.

Kinnear’s comments came after the midfielder had just signed a new four-and-a half-year deal with the Pole thriving upon being an ever-present and hoping there is no sign of his incredible run stopping any time soon.

“I’m okay yeah,” said no nonsense and quick-witted Klich, assessing how he was feeling after 77 league starts in succession.

“I’ve never played so many games in my life and I never thought I would.

“But I will play however many games I can - until I collapse.”

Asked if there was anything in particular he was doing to cope with such demands, the young dad Pole smiled: “Every time my daughter goes for a nap I go with her.

“I don’t do anything special, I just train every day, do the sessions and just try to recover as much as possible and thanks God I’m avoiding injuries so that’s good.”

Klich’s latest outing in Tuesday’s epic 3-2 win against Millwall came in something of an unfamiliar position.

Most frequently used as a central midfielder or in the no 10 role, the 29-year-old dropped into the holding midfield position deputising for Kalvin Phillips during Phillips’ three-match ban for his straight-red card in the 1-0 defeat at QPR.

It could be same again this weekend against Saturday’s visitors Wigan and that’s fine by versatile Klich who proved a different option in the position to Ben White who instead stayed at centre back in a late change to the planned system.

“It was supposed to be Ben but we obviously had different formations for the game,” said Klich.

“One of them was Ben and one of them I was more defensive and basically our game is just running around and everyone being there as well.”

Reflecting on his display against the Lions, Klich reasoned: “I feel good on the pitch and I did everything I could to help the team.

“I was trying to play from behind because obviously Kalvin is not there so I tried to fill the gap and I think I did all right.

“We are going to try to fill the gap of Kalvin for two more games and then he is back so we are going to be fine.”

By then, if Klich keeps on rolling, it will be 80 consecutive league starts and counting and with Poland heading to the European Championships, for Klich, even the summer might mean no rest for the wicked.

For now, though, the Pole is merely focused his third season at Leeds ending better than the 2018-19 campaign through promotion to the Premier League.

“If I go the Euros it’s going to be a very long season again,” said Klich.

“But everyone plays football to play games and international games are special and big tournaments as well.

“I have never been and it’s going to be my first one so I am very happy - but I hope it goes happy from here to the Euros.

“We lost two games and everyone knows there is a lot of pressure from our fans because obviously we want to win games especially at Elland Road and they can believe me that we want to win as well.

“It’s a funny game football and we did everything we could against Millwall to win.

“I don’t want to say too much because obviously there are still a lot of games to go but I am sure if we are going to play like we played in that game then everything is going to be fine.”