Harry Gray was handed his senior debut for Leeds United towards the end of last season at just 16, but he did not feature again for the Whites before leaving on loan earlier this month.
As the latest prospect to emerge from the renowned Gray family, his development has naturally drawn added attention, with the 17-year-old striker continuing his progress largely away from the spotlight.
Daniel Farke has been careful to manage expectations, repeatedly stressing his desire to protect the teenager from unnecessary pressure. Despite training regularly with the first team, Gray was not used this season.
His absence from Leeds’ FA Cup victory over Derby County appeared to signal a change in direction, and he subsequently completed a loan move to League One side Rotherham United earlier in the transfer window.
Harry Gray gets a big piece of advice from the Rotherham manager
Gray was ill ahead of the game against Wimbledon on Saturday, and while he completed the full 90 minutes in his debut against Scunthorpe, the youngster was taken off in the 78th minute in the 1-1 draw this weekend.
Rotherham boss Matt Hamshaw has insisted that Gray was getting too involved in physical battles with the Wimbledon centre-backs, and he was not going to succeed in winning them.
He insisted that the 17-year-old forward is still not ready for these physical skirmishes and felt that the young striker looked tired before he was taken off.
Hamshaw was quoted as saying by the Rotherham Advertiser: “I just felt that Harry was getting latched onto their centre-backs a bit much and should have come off them and not had that battle.
“He’s not going to win that battle at 17.
“They’re the bits that he’ll learn. He came off the defenders and got in those pockets, then you just saw him fatigue a little bit at the end.”
Rotherham was a risky move by Gray
Leeds fans have already raised concerns over the decision to send the young striker on loan to a League One side fighting near the bottom of the table.
It has since become clear, however, that the move was initiated by Gray himself, with the teenager choosing to leave Leeds and selecting Rotherham United as his destination.
| Attacking & Ball Involvement | |
|---|---|
| Goals | 0 |
| Assists | 0 |
| Total Shots | 1 |
| Shots on Target | 1 |
| Shots Blocked | 0 |
| Duels, Carrying & Control | |
| Touches | 21 |
| Unsuccessful Touches | 2 |
| Dribbles (Successful) | 1 (0) |
| Was Fouled | 4 |
| Possession Lost | 7 |
| Total Carrying Distance | 64.2 m |
It is a bold choice and one that may come as a surprise to some supporters, as he has backed himself to make an impact at a struggling League One club.
Rotherham’s attacking output has been fairly modest, and goals are likely to be difficult to come by against some of the division’s physically demanding defences.
While Leeds fans will be hoping he thrives during his loan spell, Gray has taken a sizeable gamble, putting faith in his talent and goalscoring ability to succeed in a tough environment.
Gray seems destined for greatness, really hope we eventually get to see him play regularly for Leeds.