Leeds United's Mateusz Klich on Twitch gaming, lockdown life and how the season should finish

The Polish midfielder, no longer able to entertain 36,500 people at Elland Road due to football’s coronavirus lockout, has taken to streaming site Twitch to keep himself busy and connect with fans while he plays his favourite video games.

His 3,750 followers can watch his gameplay progress live and see and hear the man himself as he shoots and battles his way around Counter Strike: Global Offensive or League of Legends

Last Friday he was one of a number of Polish football stars who took part in a charity game of Counter Strike, to raise funds for the health service in their native country.

The game, initiated by former Udinese goalkeeper Wojciech Pawłowski, also featured Leicester city’s Bartosz Kapustka, Sampdoria’s Karol Linetty and Derby County’s Krystian Bielik.

The three-hour long game has already raised 80 per cent of its funding target with three weeks left before their deadline.

He is as enthusiastic for gaming as he is third-man runs in the final third and although he admits to missing Elland Road, matches and even training at Thorp Arch – although not, he jokes, having to see his team-mates every day – the suspension of the EFL has had at least one silver lining.

“It’s fun,” said the 29-year-old.

“I wanted to try Twitch for a long time.

“It seems like the perfect time now and I’m just playing video games and trying to talk with the fans as well.

“A lot of Leeds fans are on my account too.”

There is little chance that boredom can set in for Klich, even when he’s not able to sit in front of his games console.

As any parent will acknowledge, perhaps with a shudder and a twitch of the eye, having a toddler in the house keeps everyone on their toes.

Klich’s one-year-old daughter Laura ensures he gets up out of bed nice and early and then his boss Marcelo Bielsa, via Leeds fitness coach Benoit Delaval on WhatsApp, ensures he gets his daily training programme underway.

“My little one wakes me up,” said Klich, detailing a typical day during the lockdown.

“Breakfast, then I go for a run, then gym, the little one has a nap so I get some time for myself, then she wakes up, lunch, watching news, bath her, dinner then hopefully she sleeps soon so I get more time for myself again.

“I’m just playing with my little one all day and waiting until she goes to sleep – the days are very long.

“I’m just enjoying my time with my girlfriend as well and just staying at home like every one else.

“I just can’t imagine [what it is like for] Stuey [Dallas] with three kids though.”

Even for those players without kids to keep them occupied, Klich struggles to accept that boredom might be settling in without football.

“I know a lot of players play Playstation and watch TV series,” he said.

“I can’t see, these days, how we can be bored with so many other things to do. I just hope no one is bored because I’m not.”

Part of Klich’s daily routine is scouring the media for signs of life for the 2019/20 season.

His preference for what should happen, when the time is right, is predictable.

Cancelling the season would be unpalatable but even clinching promotion without completing the fixtures would leave a bad taste and, as Klich points out, people would forever talk in sour tones about that achievement.

“I hope we’re going to end the season. I don’t know who wants to finish the season more, us or Liverpool.

“I saw Harry Kane said the season should be cancelled but I know why he wants that.

“So far I don’t know how they’re going to solve it but it’s going to be very difficult. I have no clue. I hope they’re going to do something. There are a lot of games to play and no one wants the season to be cancelled.

“We’re football players, we’re not scientists or doctors, we have no idea how it’s going to work. There are loads of different opinions but I can guarantee we, Liverpool and West Brom want to finish the season.

“We need three weeks, one month and we can finish. We can go somewhere, we can go and play in Dubai in nice weather. There are people who know better than me and they will draw something up.”

And once the great plan is revealed, Klich will gladly put down his controller and pick up where he and Leeds – on a five-game winning streak and top of the Championship – left off.

“We feel strong and we know we can do it,” he said.

“We want to prove we can win the league after 46 games, not 37 and with the help of the coronavirus.

“We we were talking and saying we’re probably going to be fitter than anyone else after this break.

“I could play games very quickly, if you asked me. I just want to finish the season as soon as possible.

“We’ll wait for the decisions and hopefully we can be on the pitch soon.”