The Leeds United defender's father was spotted in an away end at the start of the Premier League season

Tarik Muharemovic has unpacked his special relationship with his father, who attends every Leeds United game to watch his son.

Rasim Muharemovic was spotted in the away end at Nottingham Forest on the opening day of the season and has not missed a match, home or away, throughout his son's career. Rasim was a huge influence on Tarik's journey to the Premier League, right from kids' football.

As 23-year-old Muharemovic explained to the official Leeds United podcast: “My dad was always the one shouting onto the pitch. You couldn’t hear the coach, you heard my dad talking to me.

“This was my motivation, to be honest. As kids you ask ‘why are you shouting at me, I’m just playing football, just leave me alone’. When you get older, you understand why he did that. I’m here because of him and my mum.”

Muharemovic often looks for his father in the stands and even now Rasim likes to hand his son some directives. The Leeds defender added: “Even nowadays - I don’t like to say now because maybe the boss will see!

“[But] after the first half, I look up and he’s going to tell me something like hand movements or to stay calm or play more. So still sometimes I’m looking up to get a bit of advice!”

In a wide-ranging chat, Muharemovic explained how he made his senior debut for Austrian club Wolfsberger against an RB Leipzig team containing now-Leeds players Brenden Aaronson and Noah Okafor.

He also underlined how his first goal for Leeds, against Chelsea in September’s League Cup tie, meant a lot to him, and that he awaits the day he scores at Elland Road for the first time.

On the subject of fans, Muharemovic referenced a chat he had with his dad after moving to Elland Road.

When asked about the thing that has surprised him most since pulling on the white shirt, he replied: “Absolutely the fans. I don't know what to say about them… I watched videos of Leeds fans and I was not ready for such an atmosphere, to be honest.

“Because I had my dad over as well and I told him, do you hear this? He was like, ‘son I was there’. So the thing that surprised me most was really the fans.”

Muharemovic added: “You feel how much this club means to the fans. I don't just want to talk only good because I'm in front of the camera - but it's the truth.

“Because people work every day, every month to maybe buy the season tickets. And obviously you want to give them something back. We have away fans, we've been at Forest two games in a row in four days, the away stand was burning, this was crazy.

“So you feel it as a player and not only me, the whole team. We have to give something back to them. And it's also right because I think always fans have the biggest goals.

“As a club here, especially, you see how we stick together. We draw, we lose; applause, they are still singing, supporting us. Obviously, they will tell their opinion, maybe I was not good, he was not good, we didn't play good.

“But it makes something special when you have fans who stay by your side in every situation. And that's why I think these fans deserve to achieve the best goals we can this year, and for the next years.”