Leeds United’s senior side have not been in action this weekend and it has seen Sheffield United take advantage, but the club’s Under-21 team secured a crucial win.
Chris Wilder’s side are back in first place with Leeds and Sunderland going head to head on Monday, but Scott Gardner’s side were in action this weekend. The second string faced Derby County away from home.
It has been a topsy-turvy season for Gardner’s men this season, losing star striker Luca Thomas midway through the first half of the campaign before key midfielder Cian Coleman rejoined loan side Buxton.
The Whites are left in 15th place of a 26-team division, winning just five of their 14 matches. But that is after a brilliant 2-1 win over Derby in which Leeds came from behind and Harry Gray absolutely starred.
Harry Gray has message for Daniel Farke after Leeds U21’s win
Archie’s younger brother netted a brace after Leeds had gone 1-0 down to Alex Stepien-Iwumene’s 32nd-minute strike. But Gray retaliated, not long after the 16-year-old has returned from a long-term injury.
Gray scored in the 65th minute, before netting a winner in the 83rd minute. The young forward is highly thought of at Leeds, with brother Archie even hinting that Harry is actually better than the Tottenham ace.
The young striker’s return to fitness comes just at the right time for Gardner’s men having lost Thomas until the end of the season, after he joined Halifax. There is also a clear route into the first team for Gray.
Daniel Farke is well-aware of Gray’s progress, taking Gray and five other youngsters to Germany in the summer. Scoring a brace as he continues his return, Gray said he is “waiting” after scoring two goals.
He simply wrote on Instagram: “2-1 W – 2 goals – waiting.”
What Joe Rothwell and Aaron Lennon have said about Harry Gray
Gray featured in the first team on a few occasions in pre-season, but the injury – like his brother suffered in pre-season under Jesse Marsch – has stunted any serious chance of a call-up to the first team this term.
However, there is a clear route into the senior side at the moment with only two fit strikers available for Farke. Patrick Bamford continues to struggle in his recovery from a hamstring problem picked up on NYD.
If Farke does have to turn to 16-year-old Gray, then he is in good hands. Aaron Lennon described Gray as “frightening” having worked at Thorp Arch as a coach, saying “probably the best thing I’ve seen in years.”
Joe Rothwell is also excited by Gray, noticing him in Germany last summer: “I’ve been really impressed with what Harry’s been doing, for such a young lad, he looks like a really mature player. Bright future.”
Time is on Gray’s side but he will be desperate to emulate his brother and with Leeds lacking in strikers, and injury or two between now and the end of the season might just tempt Farke to call on Gray.
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