Leeds United attacking midfielder Mateusz Bogusz has finally made a return to action after 253 days out.
What’s the latest?
In a recent post on Twitter, LUFC Youth revealed that, after spending a little over eight months on the sidelines as a result of an anterior cruciate ligament injury, the 21-year-old finally made his long-awaited return to first-team football on Sunday – featuring for ten minutes in UD Ibiza’s 3-2 victory over CD Lugo.
In their post, LUFC Youth said: “253 days, he’s back! LUFC U21s midfielder Mateusz Bogusz made his return from an anterior cruciate ligament injury for Ibiza UD yesterday. Great to see you back, Mateusz!”
“Special player”
Considering just how much excitement Bogusz’s arrival at Elland Road stirred back in 2019, coupled with the fact that the attacking midfielder looks to be a player who boasts a considerable amount of potential for the future, the news that the Poland U21 international is finally back on the pitch is undoubtedly good for everyone involved with the Whites.
Indeed, not long after his arrival at Leeds, the then-17-year-old was almost immediately called up to first-team training, and quite clearly made an impression on a number of the senior squad, with his compatriot in LS11, Mateusz Klich, saying back in the summer of 2019:
“When he trains with us I always try to help him. It’s not like I can give him any advice because he’s 17 and going to probably be better than me! If he needs anything, I am here for him. I’m very curious about him because he looks like a good player.”
Furthermore, following his full debut for the U21s against Nottingham Forst in February of 2019, the youth side’s former head coach, Carlos Corberan, raved about the potential of the number 10, stating:
“I think Mateusz is a young but very talented player. He’s only been here a few weeks at the club and today was the first time he could play a game. I think he’s a special player. We are going to continue to work with him because I think he can give a lot and bring very positive things to this club.”
Further still, after a 3-1 win over Newcastle United U21s later that month, the SC Heerenveen scout, Xander Wilkinson, also appeared to be in awe of Bogusz’s ability, with the talent-spotter commenting:
“Standout player for me was Mateusz Bogusz in just his second appearance in a Leeds shirt. Relentless energy in the No.10 role. Created space for himself with a number of clever third-man runs, [was] constantly available between the lines and won the ball back for the second goal. First impressions of him were fantastic. Look forward to seeing more of him. Not bad for 17.”
And, despite the fact that the £1.35m-rated talent has played a total of just 155 minutes of football for the Whites’ senior side, the forward-thinking midfielder was beginning to demonstrate his ability at senior level during a loan spell with UD Ibiza last season, prior to his unfortunate ACL injury.
Indeed, over his 20 LaLiga 2 appearances last time out, the £530-per-week youngster was in exceptional form, scoring four goals, registering six assists and creating two big chances for his teammates, in addition to taking an average of 1.5 shots, making 1.3 key passes and completing 0.9 dribbles per game.
These returns saw the 21-year-old average an extremely eye-catching SofaScore match rating of 7.14, not only ranking him as Ibiza’s best performer in the league but also as the joint eighth-best player in the Spanish second tier as a whole – with the Ibiza president, Amadeo Salvo, dubbing Bogusz as “one of the revelations of the second division” last season.
As such, it is clear to see that, should the Polish sensation be able to replicate this level of form during his second loan spell in Spain, he would appear well worthy of a shot in Jesse Marsch’s first-team squad next season, with the American very much looking to have a special talent on his hands in the shape of Bogusz.