Leeds United boss Jesse Marsch on Archie Gray challenge and prodigy's first team status - YEP 15/7/22

Leeds United boss Jesse Marsch is looking for ways to challenge Whites prodigy Archie Gray.

By Graham Smyth

The 16-year-old is out in Australia with the first team squad, having featured in both of the Whites' friendlies on home soil before they jetted off Down Under.

Gray started against Stoke City in a behind-closed-doors win and then again at York when Leeds beat Blackpool with ease.

He had to wait until the final 10 minutes of the Gold Coast match against Brisbane Roar on Thursday to get some more pre-season action, replacing Tyler Adams.

Gray was straight into the action, running onto a loose ball 30 yards from goal and resisting the calls from thousands of away fans to shoot, finding a pass instead.

What has stood out about Gray this summer, other than his willingness to get on the ball and try to create, is his relish for the physical challenge. Despite his age he already has a good size and has no qualms about putting a foot in, even a little rashly at times. It's already clear that he's going to be a horrible player to come up against.

Marsch considers him part of the furniture in the senior set-up and believes he can play in the deeper six role, or as a box-to-box eight or even as a number 10, operating just outside the area.

"Archie is only 16, he came up through the academy but now that he's been here with our first team all pre-season, I don't think anyone should treat him any other way than as part of the team," said the head coach.

"And that's a credit to Archie and his mentality and his maturity."

Leeds went into the Roar game with a very clear idea of who would get what in terms of minutes on the pitch. Daniel James was replaced after 30 minutes, having scored one and set up another, while Patrick Bamford was given the last half an hour and Pascal Struijk remained the only man to play the full 90.

Marsch is spreading the match minutes around the squad in order to try and ensure everyone gets what they need and says the task with his youngest senior player is to find ways to keep developing his talent.

"We decided to use him a little bit toward the end of the match tonight, just to get the balance of getting everybody some minutes," he said after the 2-1 win at the Cbus Super Stadium.

"But you know, we've got to continue to find ways to challenge him and keep pushing him because we believe in his talent."

Marsch takes his squad from the Gold Coast to Brisbane this weekend and will put them through another open training session before Sunday's meeting with Aston Villa at Suncorp Stadium.

Within the group he has brought Down Under there is a group of young players whose ability gives him confidence about the direction the club is heading in.

"I would say with Darko [Gyabi], with Archie Gray, with Cree Summerville, with Sam Greenwood and with Joffy Gelhardt, we have a core of really young talented players that we think can be a big part of the future,” he said.

"If you would look at we have, this group of leaders that are somewhere around 30 years of age, and then we have this group that's like 20 to 25. And then we have this really young group. And so when you think about the progression of what the team and the club can become in the upcoming years, I think as a manager with the kind of football I like to play and the kinds of people I like to invest in, I feel like I'm in the perfect spot and really excited for what the future will hold.”