Daniel Farke saw early what Tottenham Hotspur are seeing in Archie Gray now.
The former Whites player is expected to get his first proper Leeds United reunion when Spurs come to Elland Road for Saturday's early kick-off. Last season he sat on the bench for the duration of their visit to LS11 and the same was true when Leeds travelled to Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
But the youngster, who started 18 top flight games last term, has been in the starting line-up nine times already this season for Roberto Roberto De Zerbi. He scored his first goal of the campaign last weekend against Crystal Palace and wore the captain's armband on the opening day. It's safe to say the 20-year-old has established himself at Spurs and is likely to get on the pitch against the club he supports.
Gray broke through into the first team picture at Leeds at the tender age of 15, making the bench under Marcelo Bielsa. It wasn't until Farke came in that the youngster got his senior debut, however and extended his family's rich and storied Elland Road lineage. The manager's trust was further evidenced by 52 first team appearances that season, including 40 Championship starts. It took a special mentality to handle that exposure to the men's game at such a young age.
"It was early to see," said Farke. "When he came through at the age of 17, I've replaced my vice captain, our club legend Luke Ayling. This was not an easy decision. It was not easy for the dressing room. I came in as the new coach and I've got a club legend and he was on the bench because I played Archie, a 17-year-old kid.
"But Archie had already at this age more or less this mentality and the quality. He was [from] a different drawer. And the same when I played him in midfield, left the experienced players like Glenn Kamara, for example, out in his position. It's just due to the quality and the mentality that Archie had. He was ready and prepared to play on Championship level. I think he has also worn the captain's armband for Tottenham on Premier League level. It says a lot about him. You need this quality mentality if you want to be there as a young player already with so many games on this level."
Gray's current boss, Roberto De Zerbi, took the youngster off at half-time last weekend but explained it was due to a yellow card and the risk of a red. "I'm sorry, because he was playing very well," said the Spurs manager.
"I explained why I took the decision, but I think it was the right decision in that moment. He's improving a lot. After [the game against] Manchester United, he's playing very, very well, as a mature player."
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