Joe Gelhardt shares delight as young Leeds United teammate now grasps his chance to shine

Joe Gelhardt has already had his initial Leeds United first team exposure.

Now his mate is getting his.

Close pals Gelhardt and Sam Greenwood have enjoyed emerging through the England youth ranks together and it's becoming a similar story at Leeds.

And despite having had 12 more appearances than his close mate, Gelhardt says neither is 'ahead' of the other and only that Greenwood is becoming more and more relaxed with each outing under his belt.

Somewhat backing up Gelhardt's point, Greenwood was handed his first team Leeds debut seven months before Gelhardt bagged his.

Both players joined Leeds in August 2020, Greenwood signed from Arsenal and Gelhardt recruited from Wigan Athletic where he had already made 21 outings for the Latics first team.

Greenwood, though, was the first of the pair to be handed a chance at Leeds, the former Sunderland striker securing his first minutes for United's first team in January 2021 as a second-half substitute in the third round FA Cup clash at Crawley Town.

By the time Greenwood's second outing materialised in last October's EFL Cup reverse at Arsenal, Gelhardt had 'overtaken' him, the forward known as Joffy handed his first team debut in September's EFL Cup clash at Fulham and having his fourth outing in the Gunners fixture in which Greenwood bagged his second.

The following month, Greenwood suffered a knee injury in still only his fourth appearance for Leeds but first start in the FA Cup clash at West Ham United and a near two month-absence then followed.

But 20-year-old forward Greenwood has returned to bag assists from the bench in his last two games at Wolves and Watford, earning the plaudits of both new boss Marsch and now his close mate and colleague Gelhardt.

Gelhardt, 19, is still considerably leading the way with 16 first team outings, two goals and three assists to his name - and having had two league starts - but the teen striker said of his close pal Greenwood: "I wouldn't say I am going ahead of him, it's just different times.

"Obviously I got my exposure a little bit earlier than him but he said to me the other day after the game he was like 'it was crazy', at Watford he didn't feel nervous coming on but on his (home) debut he was nervous against Arsenal.

"I said everyone just gets easier and he was like 'yeah, I felt like that after the Watford game when I came on, I wasn't even nervous, I was just excited' so I was just telling him that every time you come on it gets a bit easier and just do what you do when you are on the pitch, just play your own game.

"You are there for a reason so just try and do what you do and score!

"We have got a very good relationship off the field.

"We are always together, when we are walking down people are always like 'oh, friends!' and taking the mick out of us.

"But we just get on well together and then on the pitch we are always looking for each other and passing to each other and helping each other and trying to score goals together really."

Asked just what it meant that the two of them were coming through into the Whites first team at the same time, Gelhardt said: "To be exposed to the first team in the Premier League with someone who you have known for years, me and Sam knew each other from England four years ago so have been mates for a long time.

"To play in the Premier League together or to see each other doing well, it's an unbelievable feeling."