Leeds United close to finalising loan move for teenage prospect Harry Gray with destination revealed
Highly-rated Leeds United youngster Harry Gray is set for a loan move until the end of the season
Leeds United have agreed to send teenage striker Harry Gray out on loan for the rest of the season.
Gray only turned 17 in October but is already on the radar of supporters thanks to his involvement in successive pre-season senior training camps and an Elland Road debut late last season. The teen came off the bench against Stoke City as Leeds ran riot in a 6-0 victory en route to a Championship title and promotion. Gray played a full and entertaining part in the celebrations, despite only making the matchday squad for the final three games, endearing himself to supporters.
But where his first team journey has been different to his older brother Archie's, who played a full season of senior football in the Championship before being sold to Tottenham Hotspur in a £40m move, Harry Gray has been trying to break into the first team in a Premier League environment. The arrival of Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Lukas Nmecha has pushed last season's Championship Golden Boot winner Joel Piroe down the pecking order and left the Dutchman with far fewer minutes.
Boss Daniel Farke spoke earlier in the season to quieten any clamour for senior involvement for Gray and insisted his situation as a centre forward was different to the one that saw his brother hold down a first team role.
"It's a bit easier to shine, sorry, in the Championship at full-back than to shine as a striker against top, top centre-backs," said Farke. "You can't expect a young striker, 16, 17, 18 to shine with consistency at Premier League level. Robert Lewandowski, Harry Kane, they were not regulars at Premier League level at [this] young age scoring goals.
“There are very rare examples - Erling Haaland is a different way but he went to senior football at 18 in a league that was not the best in the world, with all respect. It's easier there to find your confidence and goalscoring boots than in the Premier League. Lewandowski started to score goals in his mid 20s, Harry Kane is more or less the same. I don't expect a young striker to score goal after goal at 16, 17, 18, 19. You can shine on the wing or as a full-back but as a striker you have to be patient."
And with involvement not forthcoming so far in the current campaign, beyond Under 21s football, Leeds have decided to send Gray out on loan to Rotherham United in League One.
The Whites believe that match minutes are of the utmost importance for the youngster, who remains highly thought of at Elland Road, and see him getting opportunities with the Millers, who sit 22nd in League One. The proximity to Leeds was another factor in the decision, so the 17-year-old remains close to home and his family, while his parent club can keep a close eye on his progress.
A deal is currently being finalised and could be confirmed in the next day or so.
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