“He’s been fantastic, Very comfortable and confident on the ball, With two, three or four more years under his belt the very top is the limit”- Leeds Legend Jermaine Beckford heaps praise on Archie Gray after breakout season at Elland Road
The “very top is the limit” for Leeds United youngster Archie Gray who has played “absolutely fantastically well” in his first run for the senior team, according to Jermaine Beckford.
The Sky Sports pundit assessed the teenager’s prospects at Elland Road live on the match broadcast, tipping him to become a true star once he has more senior experience.
Having become a key man for Daniel Farke, both in central midfield and at right-back, Beckford believes the homegrown favourite has been “nothing short of excellent” and can still get even better.
Beckford said: “He’s been fantastic. It’s been a breakout season for himself. He’s very confident, very comfortable on the ball, and for somebody at such a young age, 17 years of age, he plays like he’s a seasoned pro and he’s been playing for years.
“He’s not phased by many things and he had the opportunity at the beginning of the season to say in centre midfield and he played absolutely fantastically well.
“There were one or two injuries to the full-back positions, he filled in at right-back, he’s had two or three games in the right-back position, and for the most part he’s been nothing short of excellent. He’s filled the gaps in and not looked out of sorts, he’s defended really well.”
When asked about his potential the ex-striker added: “Oh wow, look we’re talking about a young 17-year-old who’s just broken through into the first-team and doesn’t look out of place.
“With two, three, four years under his belt the very top is the limit.”
There were high hopes for Gray as he emerged from the academy set up but few would have expected him to step into the first team as a regular starter and not look back.
Once Djed Spence returns from injury he will have a bigger challenge to maintain his status as one of the first names on the team sheet, since Ethan Ampadu and now Glen Kamara have established themselves as vital in midfield.
But Daniel Farke has made quite clear how much he values the youngster as he continued to start him despite an extremely heavy workload through October.
He finally relented to give Gray a day off for the win over Huddersfield Town last weekend but, even before Jamie Shackleton picked up an injury ahead of the trip to Leicester, it seemed highly likely that the manager would turn back to Gray for the toughest game of the season yet.
He hasn’t been completely faultless but not many would have expected him to be at his age, and he has surely benefited from coming through in the Championship rather than the Premier League.
There were a couple of occasions where he was beaten down the right against the Foxes but it was arguably more impressive that he didn’t capitulate in the face of the runaway league-leaders’ pressure than when he has shone in easier games.
Clearly he still has a long way to go but his progress so far has been hugely encouraging and if he continues to develop in the same way he is likely to be the heir to Kalvin Phillips’ role as a homegrown star for years to come.
