Leeds United supporters are always likely to be searching for the next Archie Gray after his success last season.
At just 17, Gray was able to establish himself as a key part of Leeds’ first team in no time. He was a special talent that unfortunately do not come out of an academy very often.
Due to Leeds‘ failure to win promotion, Gray was sold to Tottenham for £40 million in the summer, where he has since gone onto make his Premier League and European debuts.
Leeds are club that have always been renowned for its pathway from Thorp Arch to the first team and so fans are keen to see fresh blood making their way up.
And due to Leeds’ ongoing injury crisis that saw Ilia Gruev become the latest to be sidelined at Norwich City, Daniel Farke may actually be forced into utilising some of his youngsters in the coming weeks.
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Farke on Leeds comparisons with Charlie Crew and Gray
Leeds are now down to just two fit senior midfielders after Gruev’s early withdrawal at Carrow Road, with Ethan Ampadu having been ruled out for 10 weeks just a day earlier.
Ao Tanaka and Joe Rothwell are now Leeds’ only two fit senior midfielders and so if Gruev is out for any period of time, it will place a lot of pressure on them to stay fit.
Farke has shut down the likelihood of Leeds entering the free agent market and so that could open the door for Charlie Crew to get a chance, who the Whites boss has talked up before.
Crew is now Leeds’ backup to Tanaka and Rothwell in the engine room but is still yet to play a single minute of senior action, despite being on the bench numerous times.
Speaking in his pre-match press conference, Farke claimed while Crew is someone they rate highly, it is very ‘unfair’ to expect him to come in and perform like Gray did last season.
He said: “Charlie is a young player who came to us at 17. There are many comparisons to a 17-year-old Archie Gray, this is not fair because the last thing young lads need is too much weight on their shoulders.
“To play as a 17 or 18-year-old guy regularly in first-team football for such a big club with such ambition to go back into the Premier League, it’s not normal that a 17, 18-year-old guy is always in the starting-XI, or has major minutes.
“This happens once in 10 years so it would be unfair to expect him to do the same as Archie. Charlie is a great character, always open and wanting to learn. We try to work a lot with him to improve him but we can just bring him closer to the door.
“The step through the door is up to him and he has the chance to shine. He’s totally down to earth, well educated, really humble, a good guy and a good football player but there is a step between youth football and senior football.
“For some it takes a bit longer to make the breakthrough. He is on a good path, involved at 18 for a few months. It says a lot about his potential but when there’s time to unleash him, we will.”
Farke shares latest on Ilia Gruev’s Leeds injury
As mentioned, the likelihood of Crew seeing any kind of decent minutes in Leeds’ first team is going to depend on the severity of Gruev’s injury.
However, Farke was unable to provide much of an update on Gruev in his press conference earlier this afternoon.
Farke did seem slightly more positive than straight after the game at Norwich, and so hopefully he has managed to avoid serious damage.
He said: “No. We are still waiting for further assessment, he will have a scan later today. I could tell you more this evening. But as it stands, it looks a bit better today, doesn’t look that bad but we will wait for the scan.”
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