Mateusz Klich breaks silence on Jesse Marsch anger and reveals unfinished business at Leeds United

The 32-year-old departed West Yorkshire after six years in January, swapping LS11 for Washington D.C. in the United States. Currently representing Major League Soccer outfit DC United, coached by Wayne Rooney, Klich has conducted a tell-all interview with Polish outlet Sportowe Fakty about his anguished Leeds departure.

Klich broke down in tears on the pitch following Leeds’ draw with West Ham United in early January, as it became apparent that would be his final appearance for the club. Shortly thereafter, within the bowels of Elland Road, the much-loved Pole signed release forms to mutually terminate his deal with the club in order to join DC United.

"I have friends in Leeds, a flat, we had everything arranged with my family. Six years in one place is a lot though. I cried a lot, especially when people wrote to me. Fans asked me not to leave,” Klich said, reflecting on his exit.

"I wanted to finish my contract at Leeds and leave in one-and-a-half years. I knew before the season that I wouldn't be a core player and would be coming on from the substitutes' bench. I agreed to this role and was curious to see how I would handle it myself.

“For the first few games it still looked good, I felt OK. Then we started to play very poorly and I thought I should have had a few chances to play from the start. However, I didn't get any, which I was angry about,” he added.

Leeds supporters suspected former head coach Jesse Marsch and Klich didn’t quite see eye-to-eye during the American’s tenure at Elland Road. Klich admits he was frustrated by a perceived lack of opportunities which were afforded to other teammates.

"I saw that the coach was tinkering with the line-up, throwing other players in different positions and not taking me into account at all, even though I had played well in the previous game, for example. In the end, I started to get frustrated.”

As it became apparent Klich’s importance to Marsch’s Leeds was on the wane, the offer to secure his family’s future by joining MLS as a designated player was on the table. Despite this, the Pole claims members of the Leeds dressing room urged him to stay: “Even the guys in the team kept telling me not to fool around and don’t do it.”

In addition, Klich explains he has unfinished business at Elland Road, declaring that he would like to return one day in order to reach 200 appearances for the club: “I have 195 games at Leeds and I told our directors when my contract was terminated that I would still be back for those five games. We'll see how it all turns out.”

The Poland international also recounts tales of playing at Manchester City’s Etihad Stadium, describing the atmosphere like a ‘theatre’ compared to Elland Road due to supporters’ less-than-enthusiastic goal celebrations, as well as a comical story of attempting to use the toilet in the away dressing room at Brentford’s former home Griffin Park.

Klich’s full interview with Sportowe Fakty can be read here.