Graham Smyth, who was tweeting about Leeds United’s pre-season friendly win, shared what he noticed Archie Gray do during the game.
Leeds are currently in Australia on their pre-season tour and today took part in their first friendly as they took on Brisbane Roar of the A-League and managed to record an impressive 2-1 victory.
Pre-season is largely about figuring out formations, tactics and getting players back to match fitness ahead of the opening Premier League game, and this was no different for Leeds, as Jesse Marsch made changes throughout the match, giving minutes to a lot of squad members.
Youngster Gray was handed a runout near the end of the game and Smyth noticed something that may have shown his youthfulness and lack of experience, as he tweeted: “Gray runs onto a loose pass and every fan behind the goal tells him to shoot. Doesn’t. Passes it instead. Classic teenage behaviour.”
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TIF Thoughts on Gray…
It won’t come as a shock or surprise to many people at Leeds or within the fanbase that Gray perhaps showed his this side to him given he is still just 16, however, resisting the urge to shoot from distance and instead looking for a pass may even suggest he may well be wiser beyond his years.
Given his tender age, it is unlikely that Gray is even ready for a loan move and wouldn’t need to be registered as a first-team player, so it may be best to keep him in and around the squad where he can learn off senior players while still turning out weekly for the Under-23s to help aid his development.
Archie is a genuine talent but at a very tender age. I hope the manager and club keep in mind his age at all times because his tanlent must be very carefully nurtured if it is to safely florish.
There is life outside of football so keeping the youngster level headed and realistic will bring benefits to the club, the supporters, and most importantly to himself.