27 years after Alan Smith made his eye-catching debut for Leeds United at Anfield, Daniel Farke is mulling over when to unleash his own teenage prodigy, Harry Gray.
Daniel Farke has plenty to mull over during the current international break, as he looks to turn around Leeds’ worrying run of Premier League form.
Despite Wayne Rooney calling for him to be added to the England squad, Leeds have looked short on goals, with Dominic Calvert-Lewin leading the line.
While the first team have struggled for goals, the prodigiously talented Harry Gray has been scoring goals for fun for Leeds’ Academy, including two goals in his last outing against Accrington Stanley.
With attention now beginning to turn towards Leeds’ crucial clash with Aston Villa, Farke should use Smith’s debut in 1998 as inspiration when considering whether to finally unleash Gray in the Premier League.
Photo by Robbie Jay Barratt – AMA/Getty ImagesDaniel Farke should learn from Alan Smith’s Leeds United debut
Leeds would eventually go on to finish fourth in the 1998/99 Premier League season, but suffered a frustrating start to the season, drawing eight of their first 12 games.
George Graham had departed the club to join Tottenham and was replaced by young coach David O’Leary, who began to place his trust in the next generation of talent at Leeds.
Leeds travelled to Anfield on 14th November 1998 and O’Leary received the most emphatic vindication of his trust in the youth team as his side secured a 3-1 victory.
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Alan Smith made his Leeds debut in the game just over a month after his 18th birthday, and made his mark just three minutes after being brought on by slotting home his first goal for the club.
He would go on to make a total of 21 top-flight appearances that season, scoring seven goals and helping Leeds establish themselves as a force in European football.
Leeds need a spark to ignite their Premier League survival bid. Although Gray is one year younger at 17, a point may come when his weight of goals for the Leeds Academy side leaves Farke with no choice. If that moment comes, Smith shows that it is possible to make the jump at such a young age.
5 Feb 2000: Alan Smith of Leeds in action during the FA Carling Premiership match against Leeds played at Anfield in Liverpool, England. Liverpool won the game 3-1. Mandatory Credit: Clive Brunskill /AllsportHarry Gray’s performances against senior teams are encouraging for Leeds United
Although Gray has been scoring for fun in the youth team, there are countless examples of players who have been prolific at the junior level but have been unable to make the step up to the Premier League.
However, Farke can take heart from Gray’s performances against senior teams in both the National League Cup and the EFL Trophy.
Harry Gray in the 25/26 season – Data from FotMob
Gray’s two goals against Accrington in the EFL Trophy showed he can perform against a team featuring several lower league professionals, as did his hat-trick against Scunthorpe in the National League Cup.
Of course, it is too early to get carried away by Gray’s success. However, the fact that he has regularly found the net against senior teams shows that he will not be daunted by the physicality in top-level football.