Injury update on Leeds United loanee Harry Gray as Rotherham boss speaks out
The Leeds United youngster has been playing virtually every week at Rotherham.
A precautionary approach to Harry Gray’s fitness means the out-on-loan Leeds United striker will be available this weekend.
Gray has been a regular starter since joining Rotherham United on loan for the rest of the season in January, with 11 appearances yielding two goals. The 17-year-old has often played the full 90 minutes of a match but in a 1-0 defeat at Huddersfield Town on Saturday, he was withdrawn with 20 minutes to go.
That was despite being one of the Rotherham players most likely to find an equaliser but the trip to West Yorkshire came just a few days after Gray suffered a dead leg. And even with another full week to prepare for Saturday’s visit of Bolton Wanderers to the New York Stadium, head coach Matt Hamshaw opted against risking his young striker.
“He's fine,” Hamshaw told the Rotherham Advertiser of Gray, who is expected to start this weekend. “I think we did the right thing bringing him off [at Huddersfield]. I didn't really want to, if I'm going to be honest, but leaving him on could have led to something a lot more extensive.”
Leeds will be encouraged to hear Hamshaw’s safety-first approach regarding Gray, who evidently has the teenager’s welfare in mind despite his side’s desperate situation. That defeat at Huddersfield left the Millers third-bottom in League One, three points from safety.
Rotherham could therefore look to squeeze every ounce from their on-loan Leeds star in the hope his goals can keep them up, but as Hamshaw said that would risk a more serious issue. And in withdrawing him for 20 minutes at Huddersfield, it could have avoided a longer lay-off which would have been an issue for all involved.
Gray scored two goals in his first four games for Rotherham but hasn’t found the net in seven appearances since. The Thorp Arch prospect is playing up top for one of League One’s lowest-scoring teams, however, who in that seven-match run have only scored twice altogether.
The Millers have 11 games left to climb out of the relegation zone and keeping Gray fit will be crucial to their chances of survival. But they face another tough task this weekend with visitors Bolton currently third in the league and on course for play-offs.