One of the most exciting talents on Leeds United’s books right now is certainly Harry Gray. The 17-year-old centre-forward comes from a long line of Leeds players.
You can trace that back as recently as his brother Archie, who now plays for Tottenham Hotspur, and his grandfather, Eddie, a Leeds legend.
The England under-17 striker is an excellent talent. He’s shone for Leeds’ academy this season, with four goals in four Premier League 2 games, impressive in itself but even more so given he’s playing four years up.
Last season, Gray – who recently put pen to paper on a new deal in Yorkshire – was given his first-team debut by Daniel Farke, although he has not had that opportunity this term.
That might be due to Farke’s reliance on experienced players.
Farke’s reliance on experience over youth
Whilst the Leeds manager gave the youngest Gray brother his first taste of senior football at the end of last season, he isn’t one to turn to youth players a lot.
In fact, when he played former academy star Archie Gray 52 times in 2023/24, that was certainly more of an outlier.
This season, in Leeds’ battle for Premier League survival, Farke has relied on a more experienced group of players. The Whites have the seventh-highest average age in the top flight in 2025/26, at 27.1 years old, according to FBref.
There is only one player under 25 who has made an appearance this season, namely Wilfried Gnonto, who is 21 years of age.
In theory, that experience should certainly help the West Yorkshire outfit in the top flight.
Some players have years of Premier League football under their belt.
Yet, Leeds are just three points above the relegation zone, and things are not really working out for Farke’s experienced squad this season.
Perhaps it is time to take a punt on someone younger, like Gnonto or Gray.
Well, if recent reports are to be believed, Farke could soon be out of a job and replaced with someone who trusts the youngsters.
Why Leeds could benefit from a change of manager
There have been reports this week which have tipped the Whites to replace Farke with Strasbourg manager Liam Rosenior. Whilst former Leeds star Aidy White says that the appointment would be a “huge gamble,” there are plenty of merits to the move.
Firstly, the former Hull City manager has an impressive record in Ligue 1. He’s coached 42 top-flight games in France, winning 21, drawing ten and losing the other 11.
His average of 1.74 points per game is a real standout and a testament to his ability to churn out results.
Games
42
Wins
21
Draws
10
Losses
11
Goals for/against
73/54
Points won
73
Average points per game
1.74
The London-born manager is certainly a highly rated coach. Sky Sports’ Dougie Critchley said he is “one of the best emerging British coaches,” which he proved during his time in the Championship with Hull.
He guided the Tigers to seventh in 2023/24, including fantastic performances like this. His side narrowly missed out on a playoff spot.
It wouldn’t be a surprise to see Rosenior try and bed the younger players into the first-team fold at Leeds. He is known for trusting those with less experience, as showcased in the average ages of his squad at Strasbourg this season.
The French side have comfortably got the youngest squad in Ligue 1, fielding a side with an average age of just 21.6 years old. However, this is not an anomaly.
The situation at Hull was the same. In his only full year on Humberside, his squad was the joint sixth youngest, with an average age of 25.4.
It is easy to see why Rosenior could be the perfect head coach for someone like Gray. The homegrown star is a talented youngster who is putting up some excellent performances in the academy.
A coach like Rosenior, who values the academy players and the breakthrough stars, could well give him a chance to shine at senior level.
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If Farke is removed from his post, the Strasbourg boss could be the dream man to take charge and really shake things up at Elland Road.