Phil Hay says Leeds United have a youngster on their books who Daniel Farke needs to hand more of an opportunity next season.
Following the emergence of Archie Gray this season, Leeds’ youngsters will certainly be looking at him as an example they can follow in terms of a route into the first team.
Gray racked up 52 appearances across all competitions in his breakthrough season at Elland Road, and Leeds now face a fight on their hands to keep him.
Leeds’ failure to win promotion back to the Premier League means some key players will have to depart this summer, with the 18-year-old arguably the club’s most high value asset.
Bayern Munich are among the elite European clubs already taking a look, and chairman Paraag Marathe did not commit either way when asked in an interview earlier this week whether he would be staying.
Hay says Farke now needs to hand Mateo Joseph a bigger role
Though Leeds had one of the youngest squads in the division, Daniel Farke did hold back when it came to handing some of the other youngsters a chance other than Gray.
Crysencio Summerville, Willy Gnonto and Georginio Rutter are all currently below the age of 22, but were already established first team players anyway.
Of those who played alongside Gray in the U23s last season, Mateo Joseph was the only other one who managed to somewhat force his way into Farke’s squad.
However, Joseph was handed just two cup starts all season, one of which he managed to score twice in a 3-2 defeat against Premier League big guns Chelsea.
Despite that showing at Stamford Bridge, Farke refused to hand Joseph a single league start, even when Patrick Bamford was out injured and Joel Piroe was struggling for form.
For not the first time, Joseph looked extremely bright in just the handful of minutes he received in the play-off final, and speaking on the latest episode of the Square Ball Podcast, Hay says Farke simply has to trust him more next season.
He said: “One of the things that interests me with Gray is at what stage he is going to want to move into midfield. It almost feels like this is the prime opportunity to make that switch and also push forward someone like Mateo Joseph.
“He wasn’t on for long on Sunday but even in the period he was, to my eyes looked a bit harder to track and manage. I do think that is something that should be getting tapped into more regularly once we get into next season.”
Patrick Bamford exit could open door for Joseph
When fit, Bamford was very much Farke’s first choice number nine from the start of January onwards. However, it is the first bit of that sentence which is all so important.
For the third successive season, Bamford was once again missing when it came to crunch time due to injury. He was absent for the last two league matches, and all of the play-offs.
Joseph is the only like-for-like replacement for Bamford Farke has in his squad and yet he still didn’t play him.
However, it was reported before the beginning of the play-offs that Bamford could be one of the players sold by Leeds if they didn’t go up.
Leeds should look to do all they can to ensure that happens, before then promoting Joseph to a more regular role, which he is more than ready for.