Daniel Farke has hailed the Leeds United academy for yet another gem on the cusp of the first team ahead of Leeds' trip to Coventry City this weekend.
Leeds chasing greatness despite injury troubles
Most seasons, 90 points would be enough to secure automatic promotion from the Championship back into the English top flight, but this is no ordinary season. As it stands, Leeds sit on 86 points with six games left to play, but face the very real possibility of having to make do with a play-off spot come the end of the campaign.
A point behind Ipswich Town, they are also only a point ahead of Leicester City, but crucially the Foxes have a game in hand on their Championship rivals.
The Championship end of season run-in
Ipswich Town
Leeds United
Leicester City
Norwich City (A)
Coventry City (A)
Birmingham (H)
Watford (H)
Sunderland (H)
Millwall (A)
Middlesbrough (H)
Blackburn Rovers (H)
Plymouth (A)
Hull City (A)
Middlesbrough (A)
West Brom (H)
Coventry (A)
QPR (A)
Southampton (H)
Huddersfield (H)
Southampton (H)
Preston (A)
N/A
N/A
Blackburn (H)
With none of the three sides locking horns again before the end of the campaign, they will all be relying on each other to drop points against other sides in the Championship, but one will certainly find themselves among the sides in the play-offs come the end of the campaign.
It is likely to set a new record too. 90 points is the highest number any side has achieved without automatic promotion, with that honour going to Sunderland in 1998. With third-placed Leicester needing just five points from seven games to hit that mark, it seems certain that one side will become the new owners of that unfortunate landmark.
Leeds make offer for the next Gray in wonderkid who had trial at Man Utd
Leeds United are pursuing a deal for this highly rated youngster.
ByKelan SarsonApr 4, 2024
Young talents – the likes of Archie Gray and Mateo Joseph – have helped breathe life into a Leeds side that has been weakened by injuries to key players throughout the campaign, and Farke has excited fans by vowing that another sensation is on the way, even if he isn't quite ready yet.
Midfield maestro waiting in the wings
Ahead of his side's clash with Coventry City at the Coventry Building Society Arena on Saturday, Farke was quizzed on the make-up of his midfield and specifically the injury timeframe for influential Ilia Gruev, who has missed the last two games with a swollen ankle.
Though he waxed lyrical about the Bulgarian, the German boss also dropped a hint that will excite Leeds fans over young midfielder Charlie Crew.
"Charlie Crew plays in a similar role, perhaps a bit more offensive but due to his age he can’t fulfil the role Ilia has done", he explained. "You can’t dictate the rhythm of a side wanting promotion on the back of a few first-team training sessions but he’s a talent full of potential. We try to improve him.
"We see him as a high potential young player, there’s a long way to go, you can’t take it for granted a 17 year old plays day in day out like Archie. It would be unfair to put the same weight of expectations on Charlie Crew’s shoulders."
Crew has been a key cog for the youth set up at Leeds this season, with the teenager appearing 17 times in Premier League 2. Though he may not be ready to be thrown into a Championship promotion battle, Leeds fans will certainly be happy to hear Farke talk about him in such glowing terms.