Why Leeds United youngster Harry Gray is attracting '60 scout requests every week' as Rotherham boss opens up
The Leeds United academy star is attracting plenty of attention in League One.
On-loan Leeds United youngster Harry Gray is attracting huge attention from scouts during his Rotherham spell, according to head coach Matt Hamshaw.
Gray joined Rotherham on loan for the second-half of the season during the January transfer window and has been thrown in at the deep end of a League One relegation scrap. The 17-year-old scored twice in his first four games but hasn’t found the net in the quartet of matches since.
Rotherham lost 1-0 at Bradford City on Tuesday evening with Gray unable to build on recent goals against Northampton Town and Exeter City. But the teenager still showed moments of raw quality and is improving with the third-tier strugglers, who are seemingly having to manage interest from elsewhere.
“There were a few eyebrows raised when a 17-year-old kid (came here),” Hamshaw told The Athletic. “Leeds fans think a lot of him. I know there’s a lot of media hype around him and we must get 60 scout requests every week. He’s a big talent with a big future.”
Leeds are obviously planning for that big future to be at Elland Road, with no intention of selling Gray upon his return from Rotherham. That so many scouts are desperate to watch the teenager is testament to their development of him and the potential there is to fulfil.
Rotherham boss on Harry Gray role and improvements
Gray knows his job as a striker is to score goals but the youngster is also being given a chance to develop his all-round game at the New York Stadium. Under Hamshaw, he has operated in a number of slightly different roles either alongside or slightly in behind fellow forward Sam Nombe.
“He plays as a ‘nine-and-a-half’, a 10, an 11 (deep-lying forward, playmaker and wide forward), he’s a good footballer, isn’t he?” Hamshaw added. “We tried to give him a bit of licence to go into those pockets and get on it.
“When he gets in those pockets and he gets on the half-turn, it’s great. There were times when I would have liked to see him come wider and there were times when I would have liked to see him go inside more.
“You see how much it means to him at the end. I just spoke to him then about not going down to the floor at the end of a game, for example. They’re the little bits he just needs to learn, but that’s why Leeds have obviously entrusted us with his development.”
Gray has 14 games left to make his mark on Rotherham, who after four straight defeats are stuck in the League One relegation zone. The Millers are three places and five points adrift of safety.