Leeds United striker Joe Gelhardt has admitted that he’s desperate to score against Liverpool.
The Scouser was released by Liverpool as a kid and in quotes from Leeds Live, says he’s now hoping to bag a few goals against them.
“I was released by Liverpool when I was younger so it’s always nice to play against them and try to score a few goals,” he said.
Gelhardt did get on the scoresheet twice against the Reds in a Premier League 2 game last September. Looking back on that match, the 20-year-old says his mum was delighted to see him score against the family’s local team.
“My mum always gets excited when we play there, so she was made up as well,” he said.
Gelhardt keen to show Liverpool what they’re missing
Gelhardt may get the chance to make his dream come true when Leeds face Liverpool at Anfield on October 29th.
Having played in five of Leeds’ six league games this season, he’s certainly in manager Jesse Marsch’s plans.
The youngster hasn’t had his scoring boots on, though. In fact, Gelhardt has only scored twice in 25 Premier League appearances.
That’s hardly the kind of record that will have Liverpool regretting letting him go. But it’s worth remembering that whilst at Wigan, the Reds were rumoured to want him back.
In the end he joined Leeds. Thanks largely to Patrick Bamford’s patchy injury record, he’s become a fixture of the first team squad at Elland Road.
At twenty, it’s no mean feat to be playing regularly for a Premier League side. Even though most of his game time tends to come from the bench, it’s still a good place to be.
Liverpool will need to be wary when they play Leeds for a number of reasons. Marsch has got his team looking much harder to beat since last season’s capitulation under Marcelo Bielsa.
Add in Gelhardt’s burning desire to show Liverpool what they’re missing, and they’ll need to be taken seriously come the end of October.
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