Leeds United striker Mateo Joseph says he has a clear conscience and he truly knows what happened at Elland Road following his summer loan switch to La Liga side RCD Mallorca.
Whites' boss Daniel Farke said Joseph pulled out of Leeds United's pre-season training camp in Germany having expressed a desire to leave. The Spanish striker would later go on record and say he didn't feel the German head coach had much faith in him after his loan move to Mallorca was confirmed two weeks later.
Joseph is yet to get off the mark for Mallorca in his opening three matches, having only scored six times for Leeds United in 76 appearances in all competitions. However, the Spanish youth international has full faith in his ability in front of goal given his record of eight goals in 12 appearances for Spain's U21s side.
"They're different situations because of the 71 games that I played for Leeds, I came off [the subs bench] in the last five minutes of 40 of them,” Joseph told Diario de Mallorca. "In the end, people see the 71-game figure, but I’m sure I might have started fourteen or thirteen, and six goals is a good number.
"I know what happened and I have a clear conscience that I gave my all at every moment, and that's the best thing that can happen to a person - be calm and have that inner peace of mind that comes from having given everything and doing things well.
"The national team has shown what I'm capable of; at Leeds, when I've played and had the confidence, it's shown what I'm capable of, and I'm eager to prove it here. And to be at my best."
Leeds United forward Mateo Joseph is currently on loan with RCD Mallorca.
Leeds United forward Mateo Joseph is currently on loan with RCD Mallorca.
"The most important thing is every day and every moment here," Joseph continued. "Enjoy it and give my all. That's my goal. When I look back, the result can be whatever it is, because it depends on you, but not completely.
"So, when I look back, I can say how good I was in Mallorca, what a comfortable place to work, and I gave it my all, and look how good it was. That's my challenge, to look back in the future and have a smile on my face."
In a separate interview, also with Diario de Mallorca, Joseph revealed the part Mallorca manager Jagoba Arrasate and sporting director Pablo Ortells played in his summer switch to the La Liga club.
"I had a conversation with Pablo and Jagoba in which they showed me the complete confidence they have in me," he said. "In some ways, they knew me almost better than I did - and that made me feel very good. I also made this decision with all my heart.
"Everything they saw that I could exploit in my game, my characteristics, and how they can get the best out of me. I agreed, and that was important to me because they'll try to get the most out of me, and I'll give my all, so I think it always has to have a happy ending."
The media outlet touches on Joseph's move to Elland Road, highlighting Victor Orta and former Leeds technical assistant Gaby Ruiz role. He said: "Everything they told me when they came to see me has come to fruition.
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"They're two great people, they had a lot of faith in me, and I'm very grateful for that and wish them the best. It's a change [move to Leeds], which we believe was for the better, at a club in the Premier League at the time that was calling and offered a very interesting project.
"It's gone very well, and I’ve learned a lot from my time there."
When asked about living in Leeds compared to Spain, Joseph replied: "It's not the same. There aren't as many things to do, but I knew it was the place I needed to be at that moment.
"It's not the prettiest place, but it's welcoming. I lived near the training ground and used that time to focus on what I had to do."
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