Daniel Farke drops national treasure hint despite manager’s aim to be Leeds United voice of reason - YEP 16/9/23

Daniel Farke wants to be the voice of reason when it comes to Archie Gray but even he failed to resist the idea that Leeds United might have themselves a national treasure.

By Graham Smyth

Farke is keen to manage the expectation, demands and the narrative around a 17-year-old player whose introduction to first team football has been as seamless as it was long-awaited.

It was Marcelo Bielsa who first included Gray, then 15, in a January 2022 Premier League travelling party. His appearance, as the Whites got off the coach at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, was always going to set tongues wagging, even if the team sheet that was subsequently produced did not bear the teen's name.

Bielsa was apologetic for having to push Gray into that situation prematurely due to the squad circumstances at the time but nonetheless had plenty to say about the youngster's promise.

“He has the resources to achieve [elite status], he will achieve it," said the Argentine.

"He's very, very strong mentally. He has the conditions and qualities to play in any sector of the pitch and apart from that, he's a player who is very, very intelligent."

Bielsa's successor, Jesse Marsch, was also a fan and predicted that Gray would play Premier League football last season, before last season unfolded in the way it did and injuries kept the youngster, perhaps mercifully, out of the disaster zone.

But Gray, the grandson and great nephew of club legends Frank and Eddie, was always going to find his way into the first team and Farke has been the manager to make it happen. Up to this point Gray has been almost ever-present, playing 448 of Leeds' 450 Championship minutes, a situation that contributed to a decision to keep him at Thorp Arch during the international break, rather than let him answer an England youth call up.

"First of all, he is blessed with unbelievable physicality, I have to say, so unbelievable endurance and otherwise it wouldn't be possible for a 17-year-old guy on this level to play so many minutes - he has outstanding data," said Farke.

"We watch him quite carefully also to check that he's not there was too much overload but so far he's done really, really well. He had a minor injury and for that we all decided it's best for him to recover a little bit. Also because he's playing so many games on senior level and also like on the top level, I think for his development it wouldn't be too beneficial if he plays too many games. But the biggest problem was more like the minor injury and it was good that we gave him a few days off to let it settle, but then also during this week he was capable to be there back in team training."

Just prior to the break Farke strengthened his midfield options, bringing in the more experienced Ilia Gruev and Glen Kamara in the final days of the transfer window. Their arrival should lessen Gray's load, although Farke is not unduly concerned on that front.

"Just have to make sure that also from the soft skills also like from the mental side, from the pressure, it's not too much load on the shoulders of the 17-year-old," said the manager.

"This was also one of the reasons we wanted to bring in some options but also some experienced players like Kamara, like Gruev, who can help him handle it because he is still on the learning path. It's also important to have players on the side who can also help him to handle the burden. But I have to say I'm quite pleased with him. I also get the feeling that with such a good family background and also so settled as a personality for such a young guy, that he is capable of handling the pressure. At the moment he's on a really good path but we all take care of him, that's quite important."

For Farke, taking care of Gray means resisting some of the hyperbole that is inevitable when one so young makes strides so big in senior football. The duck-to-water nature of the midfielder's introduction to the Championship suggests that the longstanding excitement around Gray's potential is already in the process of being justified.

Farke is well aware of what is being said about his youngest first team player and keen to ensure his voice cuts against the grain, when necessary.

"The whole world seems to praise him a lot and there's a lot of hype around Archie so I think it's beneficial when his manager is a bit more calm and doesn't praise him too much and speaks also about the errors in his game, where he can improve and has to improve and what he has to learn," said Farke.

"I think it's beneficial because it would be easy for me also to sing his praises, but if everyone praises him I think I protect that he’s still down to earth."

And yet, before he could finish his response to the question of Gray's ability and its ceiling, Farke admitted that the teenager's current trajectory could be good news far beyond Elland Road.

"I don't want to speak too much about his abilities more, like also the areas in this game where he can improve but if his development goes on exactly like this, then I think yeah, not just Leeds United, but the whole country can be happy that we have such talented young player," he added.