SPANISH star Mateo Joseph claims he has received no insider help from family member Emile Heskey on how to down England.
The 21-year-old Leeds United hotshot’s father is cousins with the former Three Lions striker, who scored seven goals in 62 matches for our nation.
Mateo Joseph is preparing to take on England U21s[/caption]
The Leeds striker is related to former Three Lions striker Emile Heskey[/caption]
Though forward Joseph claims there will be no split loyalties in the Heskey household as he aims to down England and advance to the U21 European Championship semi-final.
On if he had spoken to the ex-Leicester and Liverpool man, Joseph said: “I’m sure he will be watching, but I don’t know.
“He is part of my family but we’ve not seen each other a lot.
“What we have spoken about has been football and the truth is I feel lucky to have someone like that in my family.
“I suppose he won’t want us to win tomorrow, though.”
Joseph, who got off the mark at the tournament against host nation Slovakia in their first group game, is fresh from helping Leeds earn promotion to the Premier League.
But the arrival of Lukas Nmecha has cast doubt on his future at Elland Road with both Real Betis and French club Strasbourg plotting a move.
He said: “The lack of clarity about my future doesn’t affect me.
“I’m very focused on the tournament, and I’ll have to talk to Leeds, with whom I haven’t yet.
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“Then whatever has to happen will happen, which is certainly the best thing for everyone.
“I’ll be ready for the opportunities they give me, wherever they may be.”
Despite making 39 appearances, none of Joseph’s 11 starts came in 2025.
He added: “We [Leeds] achieved our goal as a team, but I personally want to be more involved in the final stretch of the season.
“I think I need more participation to continue developing as a player.
“The season has just ended, and we have to stop and evaluate. We’ve been promoted to the Premier League.
“We’ll see what the club says, but I want to play more to continue growing.”
When quizzed about Joseph, Heskey said: “I want him to score but not win!”
