Glen Kamara reacts to Leeds United contract development and vows to end Thorp Arch running joke

On the week that the 17-year-old agreed a new long-term deal at Elland Road, one that will kick in on his birthday in March, Kamara tells the YEP it's 'happy days' for Leeds. He's not wrong. Gray has consistently delivered reminders of his potential this season, becoming a regular first team player in the Championship and showing versatility and maturity beyond his years.

Were it not for the fact that boss Daniel Farke has made Gray his first-choice right-back, the teenager would be duking it out with Kamara for that central midfield spot next to Ethan Ampadu. But Kamara is still happy to play his part in developing Leeds' big homegrown hope, even if he makes the 28-year-old Finland international reflect on his own age, because in Gray he sees a young team-mate who is open to teaching.

"Oh my gosh, 10, 11 years [age gap]? He's soon 18 but damn, yeah he does make me feel old, don't remind me," said Kamara. "Seventeen years old, great player, just signed a new contract for the club and happy days for the club for sure. Great talent and he's willing to learn you know, he's not someone who thinks he's got it all. You know, he's still willing to learn and yeah, hopefully I can pass on anything I've learned along my journey and what experience I have. There's a lot of young kids here but they're all really, really talented. They've shown a lot of good things this season and hopefully, they can keep on doing so. "

For a predominantly UK-based player yet to kick a ball in the Premier League, Kamara has vast experience to draw upon. There's the 58 international caps that have pitted him against the midfields of Italy, France and Belgium. There's nearly 200 games for Rangers, including Champions League involvement and a pair of Europa League runs to the last 16 and final respectively. That game, lost on penalties to Eintracht Frankfurt, has been a topic of discussion in the Thorp Arch dressing room since his arrival because few others in the Championship can boast a European final appearance. He's won the Scottish Premiership and Scottish Cup. He's made appearances in Leagues One and Two and now added half a season of Championship football to all of that. All of that has given Leeds a player who seems to know exactly where to be, when and what to do with the football.

"I feel like I've obviously learned on the way," he said. "It's probably a bit natural as well, but just watching other players, other midfielders along the way, I've watched a lot, a lot of football on my journey and I've learned a lot from different footballers and maybe just playing against other people as well. It's not that easy to read [a game] but I've definitely learned from other people, not just myself. A player who's come to mind is someone who I played with - Steven Davis at Rangers. He's someone who could easily control the game, read the game, know when to calm it down, know when to speed it up. I definitely learned a lot from him, great player, great guy. I learned a lot from him."

Leeds' interest in Kamara first became known early last July but they did not pull the trigger on a £5m deal until August 31, the penultimate day of the summer window. In between they were always said to be keen but there were definitely times when the Whites' determination to go and actually get him seemed to wax and wane. The running joke among Leeds fans was that Kamara must have been walking from Ibrox to Elland Road, so protracted was the move. Kamara's smile as he hears the joke is a rueful one, but four and a half months and 19 Championship fixtures later he's happy it all ended well.

"It was a tough one at times you know, it was getting close to the end of the window as well, so just about made it," he said. "I'm happy to be here. It's been good. Training is competitive, tough, hard, hard work but mixed with a bit of fun as well. People are smiling, joking, training is good, training is tough. Everyone is working hard. We've had a really good training week and we're just looking forward game by game. We want to pick up maximum points every game to get back into the Premier League. We've just got to find some consistency. The last few results have been good and we want to carry that on to the next few games as well."

The Championship and its 46-game rigours might be new to Kamara but the level of expectation from a fervent, obsessive fanbase is not.

"The culture of Rangers was to win every game so I feel like it's the same here as well," he said. "The expectations are high and we've got to reach the demands for the fans, for the club. We all know where we want to be, we just want to get back there and keep on doing well. It's a good level [in the Championship], for sure. I feel like every team can beat anyone on their day, that's the level it's at. A lot of teams are competing to get in the top six and get promoted. So it's not easy at all. But I'm enjoying it."

Regular football is a bedrock of that enjoyment. It took Kamara a little time to get up to speed - there was no pre-season involvement at Rangers and by the time he arrived at Leeds the league campaign was six games old - but since the end of October he's sat out just one Championship fixture. He and Ampadu have clicked and given Leeds a more-than-solid base from which to operate.

"I've enjoyed it - man-to-man [Daniel Farke] has been really nice, I've enjoyed his coaching as well on the pitch and his management style," he told the YEP. "I've only got good things to say about him and hopefully he can help us grow and get better. I've probably had different roles under different managers at Rangers and obviously here I feel like I'm more of a six-eight, I was probably more of a six at Rangers, just depended really on the opposition and stuff, but I've enjoyed it, it's been really good. Hopefully we can take the next step."

The next step he's referring to is the Premier League, which he counts as a personal dream as well as a collective one at Leeds. His career began in junior football in Finland, before spells in the Southend and Arsenal youth systems. He never made a top flight appearance for the Gunners, although Neil McCann who later managed him at Dundee insisted Kamara could play for Arsenal 'standing on his head.' Leeds and their promotion ambitions, which remain alive and kicking, represent an opportunity to finally tick the top flight box.

"I think even after my first spell [in Scotland] at Dundee, I wanted to get back into England," he said. Obviously Rangers came calling and things happened quickly, I ended up signing there. It was good for me as well, I enjoyed my time there a lot. But yeah, definitely, something I want to do is get back into the Premier League."

Something else he wants to do, something else he would rather not be reminded about, is putting the ball in the back of the net for Leeds. It hasn't happened yet, which for a player with just nine senior career goals to his name is perhaps not a huge surprise. But given that even his midfield partner Ampadu has managed to get on the scoresheet recently, his eyes close and he covers his face with his palm at the mere mention of goalscoring. "I know, I know, I know," he said. "Honestly, I hear it every day from the boys about scoring, just scoring in general. I've had a few chances in games, I haven't done so well with chances but it'll come. It'll come for sure. Just give me some time."

As it happens, Gray is yet to score a goal for Leeds United either, so the race is on. You can be sure that if Gray is first to break his duck then Kamara will be happy to see it. Just don't remind him about it.