Leeds United

The time isn’t right for “special” Leeds United talent’s debut this season – Our View

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Leeds United‘s 16-year-old midfielder Archie Gray returned to competitive action this week, as he came off the bench for the under-21s.

Gray came off the bench to play a part in the Under-21 side’s win over Derby County, signalling the England youth international’s return to competitive action six months after his last outing, due to two injury issues with his toe and then his ankle this season.

He came off the bench for the 3-0 win and will be hoping to make an impact for the side seeking promotion back to the top tier of the youth ladder under Michal Pujdak.

Here, our writers Adam (Statto) and Kris (FA5) discuss if Gray could feature this season in the first-team and get some senior minutes under his belt.

It’s difficult to see how he will play for the senior team this season, in truth.

Gray hasn’t built up a run of games to improve his sharpness and confidence, so it’s difficult to see how he could get a chance at first-team level without that. He needs time with the youth squad first.

Also, with Leeds in the midst of a difficult relegation battle, they cannot afford to be throwing in young players at the deep end, and are relying on senior pros to do the business for them now and get them out of a tough spot.

It would be unfair to put that sort of pressure on a teenager with no senior experience who has spent the majority of the season on the side-lines, even if an injury crisis happened to hit the club in central-midfield.

Gray is one of the most talented players to pass through the youth system in recent seasons. He is special and soon needs to play games in first-team football to kick on in his development.

The family name itself speaks to his talent. He’s in good company as the grandnephew of Eddie Gray and Frank Gray as his grandfather, and his time will come, just not yet.

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I think the pressure on this season to get results means it’s not only a time where you shouldn’t be throwing a youngster in for the team’s sake, but also for Gray’s sake.

He has time on his side, as he’s yet to reach the age of 17 and has been so often part of the squads for first team games.

However, with Leeds bringing in Weston McKennie in the January window, it’s clear that the need for top-flight experience was something Leeds couldn’t ignore, as opposed to trialing key youth players like Gray or Darko Gyabi.

Again, the pre-season schedule in 2023 will be where we will see more of Gray and perhaps a chance in the coming season is a better moment for him to make his long-awaited debut.

Whether that’s in the EFL or in the Premier League, I’m backing him to shine.

Will Gray make his senior Leeds debut this season?

Yes

Yes

No

No

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