No need for Kalvin Phillips: Farke must unleash Leeds teen who's Gray 2.0

Leeds United fans will be experiencing a serious case of deja vu at the moment as their side begin to wobble towards the back end of the Championship promotion race.

Indeed, last campaign, Daniel Farke’s Whites had to make do with a playoff spot and lost the resulting final at Wembley, meaning another collapse at this stage with Leeds occupying an automatic promotion position would be an almighty kick in the teeth.

Therefore, everything will be crossed in West Yorkshire that they can get over the line, rewriting the narrative that the club often bottles the big occasion.

Whether promotion is sealed or not, the manager occupying the Elland Road dug-out will continue to select a whole host of exciting youngsters when they’re deemed first-team-ready, with the Whites boasting a fantastic track record concerning their homegrown gems.

The best young stars to come through at Thorp Arch

Farke has been unafraid to chuck promising starlets into the first team picture, with the German boss kickstarting Archie Gray’s insane rise in the Whites senior set-up.

All 52 of Gray’s first team appearances in West Yorkshire fell under the ex-Norwich City manager’s guidance, leading to Leeds cashing in on their versatile 19-year-old when playoff heartbreak then followed which gifted the promotion nearly men a bumper £30m.

Away from losing Gray’s services, Farke also has the likes of Mateo Joseph at his disposal up top, with the academy product bagging three goals from 11 Championship starts this season.

But, of course, discussions surrounding the cream of the crop to have come through the Thorp Arch ranks wouldn’t be complete without Kalvin Phillips’ name, with the Leeds-born midfielder notching up 14 goals and 13 assists from 234 games before an adventure out to Manchester City occurred.

Whilst that big switch hasn’t worked out, the Whites are now being linked with a reunion deal for the 29-year-old.

But, the promotion chasers might well have the next best thing away from Phillips in another up-and-coming youngster.

The next top youngster at Leeds

Casting an eye at the current talent in the U21 age bracket at Leeds, there should be plenty of faces ready to make the leap up to the first team very soon.

One of those wide-eyed starlets with a very bright future at the Championship side is 18-year-old Rhys Chadwick, who will fancy his chances at being the next Phillips when glancing at his classy midfield ability.

Capable of playing further forward as a number ten or as a more defensive option centrally, Chadwick is now up to 70 appearances for both the U21s and U18s, with goals and assists coming like clockwork for him this campaign.

This season alone, the teenage sensation boasts six goals and six assists from 18 total clashes, with his aforementioned versatility also drawing some similarities to the recently departed Gray, as Chadwick aims to potentially replicate the 19-year-old’s whirlwind story very soon.

Looking at the table above, much like Gray who had to fill in at right-back under Farke, the 18-year-old can do a job wherever necessary, with two of his appearances this season in Premier League 2 coming up top.

But, Farke would likely want to utilise Chadwick in a more central role, particularly with the fact Joe Rothwell could be off at the end of the campaign when his loan deal expires.

Bumping the teenager up to the senior fold would also mean Leeds don’t have to risk splashing the cash on Phillips to come good, with a further likelihood that Chadwick could find himself on this list of record sales if everything goes to plan, becoming another £30m talent in the process.

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