Graham Smyth says Leeds United have a player six years his age in academy training

Graham Smyth has predicted that Gray will one day return to play for Leeds again, but given the upward trajectory of his career right now, that won’t happen for a long time yet.

It’s not every year that a youngster of Gray’s talent progresses through the ranks with such ease, but Leeds have a long history of academy players finding a path to the first team and so hopefully there will be another soon.

Gray already told Charlie Crew to be the next taxi in line. The 17-year-old was on the bench several times towards the end of last season and has already been capped at senior level by Wales, so it wouldn’t be a surprise if Gray’s prediction is correct.

Smyth shares how Leeds feels about Archie’s brother Harry Gray

Pre-season is the time for Daniel Farke to experiment a bit with some of the younger players. This time last year, Gray’s performances in the four friendlies saw him become Leeds’ first-choice midfielder.

And while Leeds won’t see another Gray in their first team next season, it certainly feels like Archie’s younger brother Harry isn’t far away.

Harry is only 15 but is already highly rated at Leeds, with Archie even suggesting he is a better talent than him.

Next season will undoubtedly come too soon for him, but if he follows a similar career to Archie, he may be ready in just a few years.

Speaking on the latest episode of the Inside Elland Road podcast, Graham Smyth says Harry is a talent “everyone is excited about” who has already trained and played six years beyond his age for the U21s.

He said: “Harry Gray is the other thing we should mention here, he keeps the legacy alive. I think he’s played with the U21s and is on the same path as his older brother and he’s still only 15.

“He has been training for six years, he has already played and scored for the U18s. Everyone is very excited about him there, but they keep things very level and down to earth like they did with Archie.

“No one is making any big proclamations that they are going to play in the Championship this season, it might be a bit early for that. It would be unrealistic, but I think it would be best for everyone involved to take the Archie approach.

“Nobody’s saying anything wild, nothing crazy coming out of anybody’s lips, and at some point hopefully he’ll make the discovery.”

Will Harry follow Archie from Leeds this summer?

Once it became clear that Gray would be leaving at the weekend, it’s fair to say that social media was sent into a frenzy among Leeds supporters.

There were some suggestions that Gray was forced out due to Leeds’ need to sell, which then led to rumors that Eddie was looking to distance himself from the club, with Harry potentially following him out the door.

Journalist Smyth, however, quickly put those rumors to bed, suggesting that nothing has changed in terms of the plan for Harry despite Archie’s exit.

He said: “There is absolutely no suggestion, and that was one of the rumors that were floated, that he has left. There is no suggestion that the plan is different because of what happened to Archie.

“The plan is for him to stay and the Grey’s have always been very big on where you will play and which club will give you the opportunity. He is better placed at Leeds than going to Manchester City and being one of a cast.”

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