Leeds United are experiencing an injury crisis, and if the Whites don’t sign a free agent or two, manager Daniel Farke will have to rely on players from the youth academy.
Nonetheless, if the German decides to lean on the youngsters, he’s making sure not to put expectations on them. Last season, Leeds supporters saw Archie Gray step into the starting 11 as a teenager and become an impact player.
One player who can get a look, especially if the Yorkshire side doesn’t head into the free-agent, is Charlie Crew. The 18-year-old is a promising player and is locked in with Leeds until 2028, so the club clearly sees the potential in him to have him under contract for that length.
Daniel Farke doesn’t want expectations on youngsters
With Gray’s success, there are pros and cons. The pros are that Leeds aren’t afraid to give young players prominent roles to see if they can jump into the starting 11 regardless of their age.
Nonetheless, there’s also a comparison factor: if a teenager comes in, some supporters might wonder why he’s not making the impact that Gray had. As a result, Farke wants everyone not to put any pressure on any player like Crew if they decide to give him a look, especially since the injuries in the midfield are piling up.
“Charlie is a young player who came to us at 17,” Farke said (h/t LeedsUnited.News). “There are many comparisons to a 17-year-old Archie Gray, this is not fair because the last thing young lads need is too much weight on their shoulders.
“To play as a 17 or 18-year-old guy regularly in first-team football for such a big club with such ambition to go back into the Premier League, it’s not normal that a 17, 18-year-old guy is always in the starting-XI, or has major minutes.
“This happens once in 10 years so it would be unfair to expect him to do the same as Archie. Charlie is a great character, always open and wanting to learn. We try to work a lot with him to improve him but we can just bring him closer to the door.
“The step through the door is up to him and he has the chance to shine. He’s totally down to earth, well educated, really humble, a good guy and a good football player but there is a step between youth football and senior football.
“For some it takes a bit longer to make the breakthrough. He is on a good path, involved at 18 for a few months. It says a lot about his potential but when there’s time to unleash him, we will.”