Exciting Leeds United youngsters first-team prediction is made with update on star's wait

Leeds United under-18s boss Rob Etherington has made an exciting Whites first team prediction amid a young star’s wait.

United’s youngsters face Manchester City’s under-18s in the FA Youth Cup final at the Etihad on Friday night, ahead of which boss Etherington admits he will have to wait and see whether Charlie Crew is available.

Crew, 17, has already made Daniel Farke’s first team bench on three occasions this season and Etherington says his availability for Friday’s final will depend on whether the young midfielder is needed for Sunday’s Championship play-off semi-final first leg at Norwich City.

Crew and 18-year-old star Archie Gray are the latest two players to have graduated to the first team set up - and Etherington believes there will be more to come. Speaking at his pre-match press conference ahead of Friday’s final, Etherington was asked if he could see more players following Gray and Crew over the next year or two and declared: "Yeah, the opportunity is there for our young players. We are a top academy and we always have been and we've always produced football players.

"There's a lot of confidence in the staff, in the club, in our academy and the way that we develop players with the players that we've got in the building so there's always optimism.

"There's always belief in our young players that coming through there is a pathway. We see the development year on, year out with the players so there's always a lot of confidence in what we do as an Academy and the players that we have got."

Pressed on whether he would have Crew available for Friday’s final, Etherington explained: “I think we'll wait and see on Charlie.

“Our responsibility and our objective in the Academy is to help prepare players for the first team and if players are required for first team duty then that ultimately is our job and that's our responsibility so if that was the case for any of the players then we've got players we have got full confidence in who can play.

"If Charlie is involved with the first team or if he is not then we're winning both ways really."