League One boss breaks silence on Harry Gray as Leeds United loan exit edges closer
Leeds United teenager Harry Gray is on the verge of a January loan switch into the EFL.
Rotherham United manager Matt Hamshaw would not be drawn on links to Leeds United’s Harry Gray but admits his squad needs added depth for a League One survival bid.
The YEP exclusively reported on Tuesday evening that Gray is set to leave Leeds on loan this month. A deal which will see the 17-year-old striker join League One Rotherham for the remainder of the season is currently being finalised and could be confirmed in the next few days.
Leeds believe regular football is of the utmost importance for Gray, who after coming off the bench in a 6-0 win over Stoke City last season has not featured for Daniel Farke’s side. Club chiefs evidently believe their highly-regarded young star will get the necessary exposure at the New York Stadium.
Rotherham are currently 22nd in League One, two place and five points from safety, having lost their last six league matches. The Millers were also beaten 3-0 by Huddersfield in the Vertu Trophy on Tuesday and after full-time, their boss was quizzed on links to Gray.
”I can't say anything at this moment,” Hamshaw told the Rotherham Advertiser. “He's a Leeds United player. We've been linked to a number of players. We'll just have to wait and see. Is he a player you like? I like a lot of players.
“I think you've seen the weakness in the depth of the squad, unfortunately. That's something that we need to change. I just think we have to change the people. I think it's come to the point now where we've given people opportunities. It's been down to them to take them.”
Should Gray's loan switch go through before Friday at mid-day, he should be eligible to make his Rotherham debut this weekend. The Millers will look to arrest their poor form with a tricky trip to promotion hopefuls Stockport County on Saturday.
What has Daniel Farke said on Harry Gray amid Leeds United loan exit?
Despite playing just five minutes of senior football, Gray has quickly emerged as a fan-favourite thanks in part to his well-documented familial links with the club. The teenager’s older brother Archie was the last Gray to make a significant contribution to the first-team, playing 44 Championship matches in 2023/24 before joining Tottenham Hotspur in a £40million deal.
"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," Farke recently said when asked about the brothers. "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."