Jesse Marsch welcomes Archie Gray back to Leeds United training as duo miss Crystal Palace session - YEP 21/7/22

Leeds United head coach Jesse Marsch welcomed Archie Gray back to first team training on Thursday ahead of the game against Crystal Palace.

By Graham Smyth

The Whites bring the curtain down on their two-week tour of Australia with an all-Premier League clash at Perth's Optus Stadium on Friday night [11:05am BST] having already beaten Brisbane Roar and lost to Aston Villa.

That clash with Villa turned out to be a fractious affair with tackles and an intensity that belied its friendly status.

Leeds lost 16-year-old Gray to an ankle injury not long after he came on as a second half substitute in Brisbane's Suncorp Stadium, Villa midfielder John McGinn making a challenge that left the teen in need of a stretcher.

The problem was not as serious as first feared, however and Gray was able to work through an individual session with a physio at the Fremantle Oval on Wednesday, before joining back in with the rest of the squad on Thursday at HBF Park, the home of Perth Glory.

Gray's return to the fold left just two players outside the main session - captain Liam Cooper and right-back Cody Drameh.

Cooper continues to struggle with an Achilles issue that he picked up on a treadmill this summer and he sat out the morning training having spent most of his time on tour rehabbing in various gyms with the medical team.

Drameh was able to take part in an individual session and some running as he works his way through a minor hamstring problem.

Both Joe Gelhardt and Leo Hjelde, who picked up niggles earlier in the tour, played a full part in Marsch's session as Leeds prepared to face the Eagles.

The American put his squad through a slightly less intense session at HBF Park, working on some keep-ball activities, set-piece drills and finishing work.