Remaining in the Championship may actually be a good thing for some of Leeds United’s youngsters.
A return to the Premier League would have likely seen Leeds spend big on improving their squad and ultimately their route to the first team would’ve been blocked.
Archie Gray is prime evidence of that, as he was handed his senior debut on the first day of the season in August and has not looked back since, playing 52 matches in all competitions last term.
Leeds have plenty of promising youngsters who will be pushing to follow in the footsteps of Gray this season, who himself named two he expects to be the next to make it at the EFL awards in April.
The Whites have always been renowned for their trust in the academy over the course of their history, and it would be good to see more coming through next season.
What Rob Page has said about Leeds’ Charlie Crew
Leeds only have a handful of players representing their respective countries over this international break and the two major tournaments.
Returning loanees Max Wober and Brenden Aaronson, who both addressed their futures at Leeds at the weekend, will play for Austria and USA respectively at the EUROs and Copa America.
Ilia Gruev, Junior Firpo and Ethan Ampadu are among those who have a couple of friendly matches as well, with 17-year-old Leeds star Charlie Crew set to join the latter with Wales.
Though he has trained with Wales’ first team before, this will be the first time Crew has officially been named in an actual Wales squad.
Daniel Farke spoke of Crew’s potential back in April after naming him in a couple of matchday squads, but he could be on course for a Wales senior debut before he is even handed his Leeds one.
Speaking to BBC after giving him his maiden call-up, Page hailed Crew as a ‘special’ player who has so much ‘potential’ for the future.
He said: “He has loads of potential and that is the key. That is the word for it at the minute. I want to have a look at him first-hand. I want to work with him and train with him.
“I have had reports from Mattie Jones and Rich Williams (Wales U21s coaches) about him. Physically we need to be patient and wait for him to develop, but with regards to his football ability he is special.
“He is a player. We are all disappointed we did not qualify for the Euros. So would he have been selected for the squad to go to the Euros? Probably not, I would have allowed him to develop nicely with the younger age groups.
“But now the potential he has shown at Leeds, being involved with that group of players and listening to the manager and how he speaks about him and having seen him myself… he has talent in abundance.
“I am taking him away with us to expose him to the first-team lads and the culture, and he will be better for that in the next few weeks.”
Crew could become Ethan Ampadu understudy at Leeds
Given he is primarily a holding midfielder, Crew currently has plenty of competition for a place in Leeds’ starting side.
Both Ampadu and Ilia Gruev are currently ahead of him, but the door could be open for him to progress into the squad amid interest in the latter.
Borussia Dortmund are reportedly keen on signing Gruev this summer, with Leeds said to be open to offers if a ‘certain amount’ is met.
Instead of looking for a direct Gruev replacement, Leeds should move Ampadu back into the engine room, promote Crew and sign a midfielder capable of scoring goals.