On a human level, seeing Mateo Joseph working his way back from the horror of a cruciate ligament injury is welcome news, but from a Leeds United perspective, his latest update only reinforces an inevitable reality: his future lies far away from Elland Road.

The 22-year-old forward saw his loan spell at RCD Mallorca brought to a devastating, premature end last April when he suffered a severe knee injury. Since then, his road to recovery has been a long and lonely one back at Elland Road.

Having consulted Pep Guardiola’s go-to medical specialist, Dr Ramon Cugat, in Barcelona back in September to oversee the delicate stages of his rehabilitation, Joseph has been quietly putting in the hard yards behind closed doors.

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Mateo Joseph’s agent Pep Arau shares ‘closer to coming back’ injury update over Leeds United outcast

Now, his agent, Pep Arau, has dropped a fresh update on his client’s progress. Taking to Instagram on Wednesday (14 October), Arau re-shared an image of Joseph in action against Real Madrid for Mallorca, accompanying it with the caption: “Every day closer to coming back. 6 months.”

The message – complete with flexing muscle and coming soon emojis – serves as a double-edged hint. Given that it has been just over six months since Joseph suffered the original injury in April, Arau could be marking the six-month milestone of his client’s gruelling rehab.

Alternatively, it could signal that Joseph is facing another six months before he is fully match-ready to step back onto a competitive pitch. Either way, the wheels are turning in his recovery process.

But as Arau watches his client edge closer to full fitness, The Team agent’s primary focus needs to pivot from medical rehab to finding Joseph a new home.

Let’s not sugarcoat the situation: Joseph has no path back into Daniel Farke‘s squad.

The bridge between player and manager was effectively burned prior to his departure for La Liga following a high-profile pre-season disagreement over squad commitments. Farke made his stance crystal clear, excluding him from long-term plans.

Although Joseph, whose contract runs until 2028, is continuing his rehabilitation under Leeds United‘s care, he remains a complete exile from first-team integration at Thorp Arch.

While it is encouraging to see the young Spaniard nearing the end of a nightmare injury ordeal, Arau’s real work begins now. If Joseph wants to play competitive football in 2027, his agent needs to use these coming months to negotiate an exit – because his time in a Leeds United shirt is well and truly up.