Even the most glass-half-empty members of the Leeds United fanbase would have struggled to find a single thing to complain about on a glorious Sunday afternoon at Elland Road.
Well, perhaps the weather could have been a little more hospitable.
But, hammering Stoke City 6-0 in the earlier kick-off, it’s fair to say Daniel Farke’s side ‘did their bit’.
Burnley’s hard-fought victory over Sheffield United a few hours later, meanwhile, ensured that Leeds United would end the day with both feet firmly planted on the right side of the Premier League line.
Joel Piroe’s four-goal first-half haul broke new ground, as well as taking him above Norwich City’s Borja Sainz in the Golden Boot rankings. No Leeds player has finished top of the scoring charts since Chris Wood under Garry Monk nearly a decade ago.
And as Harry Gray followed in the footsteps of Archie – not to mention father Andy, grandfather Frank and uncle Eddie – the fourth youngest debutant in Whites history ensured that the thrashing of Stoke will be remembered in the Gray household not only as the day when Leeds re-joined the elite.
Harry Gray earns Italian attention after Leeds United debut
While Daniel Farke has been careful to avoid piling added expectation upon his 16-year-old protege, the Leeds boss does feel Harry Gray is an ‘important part’ of the club’s long and short-term future.
Some have even suggested that the now-£35 million Tottenham starlet Archie may not be the most talented Gray currently active in the game.
A centre-forward rather than a midfielder-turned-defender like his older brother, Harry has three goals in his last four appearances at Premier League 2 level. A 16-year-old striker running rings around defenders sometimes even half-a-decade his senior.
Italian publication Tuttomercatoweb, meanwhile, run a regular ‘Talent of the Day’ column, dedicated to profiling the most exciting up-and-comers from Serie A and beyond.
And Gray, fresh from his first-ever senior outing, is the latest English-based prospect to earn international recognition.
“He is regarded as one of the brightest talents in England’s youth system,” TMW write, having previously run pieces on Liverpool’s midfield gem Trey Nyoni, Arsenal wonderkid Max Dowman and new Manchester United left-back Diego Leon.
“The key to his game is his lethal goal-scoring instinct, with the ability to strike with both feet. He is described as a ‘clean’ and lethal finisher, capable of accurate and powerful shots, often being compared to Michael Owen for the quality of his shots.”
Gray has been likened to Michael Owen and Harry Kane
That Michael Owen reference comes from quotes one-time Leeds hopeful Andy Wright gave to The Athletic a few months ago. An FA Youth Cup winner in 1997, Wright went eyeball-to-eyeball with some of the emerging stars of his generation.
And he believes there is very little to separate Gray from a pre-Ballon D’Or and England fame Owen.
“It’s the finishing that wasn’t normal for me,” Wright explains, having watched Gray in action in Leeds academy. He too draws attention to the teenager’s two-footedness inside the penalty area.
“His right foot’s unbelievable but you put him on his left and he hits the ball so cleanly and it’s gone. It’s like a bullet and it’s in the back of the net.
“When I was a younger player, I played with some very, very good players. He’s better than them. The Michael Owens I’ve played with; For finishing, he’s as good as I’ve ever seen.”
Tuttomercatoweb, meanwhile, opt to draw similarities between Harry Gray and a Three Lions great of more modern times. There are shades of Bayern Munich talisman Harry Kane, they argue, with the Leeds youngster’s ambidextrous, emphatic and varied finishing reminiscent of England’s all-time record goalscorer in his early days at Tottenham Hotspur.
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