Arsenal rob Leeds United youngster Archie Gray of potential landmark Premier League moment

One of the brightest prospects in Leeds’ Thorp Arch academy setup at present is 16-year-old Archie Gray.

The teenager, who played a part for the first-team during pre-season in Australia, is yet to make a senior debut for his boyhood club but has been named on the bench in Premier League fixtures on a handful of occasions.

It is expected that Gray will make a competitive debut for United before the end of the season; he is one of a select number of young players frequently promoted to first-team training and is a mainstay in midfield at Under-21 level, despite his tender age.

Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta’s decision to field 15-year-old Ethan Nwaneri in the closing stages of the Gunners’ 3-0 win over Brentford on Sunday afternoon has robbed Gray of potentially making history in a Leeds shirt.

At 16, had Gray made an appearance in the league before his 17th birthday next March, he would have been the youngest player to make a Premier League appearance this season.

Not since Harvey Elliott's debut at the age of 16 years and 38 days in 2019, would a younger player have made their bow in England's top flight.

That was until Arteta’s decision to substitute on Nwaneri for the final few minutes of Arsenal’s win in west London.

At 15, Nwaneri becomes the Premier League’s youngest ever player, meaning if Gray does make a league appearance for Leeds this season, he will not be the competition’s youngest participant.

Nevertheless, Gray is set to become one of the division’s youngest-ever appearance-makers as his progression with the Under-21 side continues and a first-team call, almost certainly from the bench, beckons in the months to come.

Should he find the net before his 17th birthday, Gray could yet become the Whites’ youngest Premier League goalscorer.

Currently, James Milner – at 16 years and 356 days old – is United’s youngest Premier League scorer.

Meanwhile, Leeds’ youngest league debutant remains Aaron Lennon, who made his Elland Road bow at 16 years and 129 days old.