Leeds United behind the scenes work builds momentum for man tipped as future fan favourite

Gruev is the latest to laud the young striker for the effort he puts in behind the scenes to try and force his way into Daniel Farke's team. Both Illan Meslier and Georginio Rutter expressed their pride last week when Joseph scored the first two goals of his senior professional career in the FA Cup at Chelsea, and the Frenchmen were ageed that the opportunity was a deserved one due to his work in training.

Joseph got onto the pitch again on Tuesday night with Leeds in need of fresh legs during a difficult game against Stoke City. He came on with a 1-0 lead to defend and came agonisingly close to doubling it on two occasions. The first saw him denied by a magnificent last-ditch goalline clearance and the second was a shot that he curled just past the far post. But like the Stamford Bridge appearance, there was more to his performance than finishing. Joseph was tidy on the ball, gave defenders problems and helped stem the tide of Stoke pressure with his ball retention and link-up play.

Gruev is just three years the senior of Joseph but has considerably more experience as a Bulgarian international and former Bundesliga midfielder. He likes what Joseph is doing away from the pitch, to make his on-field dreams a reality.

"He's a great guy," he told the YEP. "I see him every time in the gym, he's working so hard for us. I think when you when you work so hard and you have this type of quality which he has, you will deserve your right to get more minutes. I think everybody saw how good he was when he played against Chelsea, great game from him and two goals."

An injury right at the start of the season kept Joseph out of action, at a time when Patrick Bamford was not yet fit, but as the campaign has gone on that sliding doors moment has given way to an open door. Farke has trusted the 20-year-old striker with numerous late cameos in the Championship and a pair of starts in the FA Cup. There were cheers at Elland Road when Farke introduced him on Tuesday night. The last week or so has allowed him to start building some momentum and on his current trajectory there seems little doubt that Joseph's involvement with Farke's team will increase over time, an opinion shared by Gruev. "He has to keep keep working, keep pushing, he's a young player," said the midfielder. "And if he keeps like this, I'm sure that he will get a lot of minutes here and the fans will enjoy him very much."