Charlie Crew creates slice of history but massive shock with Leeds United Wembley wound clear
A Leeds United player’s chance has created a slice of history amid a massive shock.
Talented Leeds United youngster Charlie Crew has created a slice of history amid a huge shock and with play-offs scars clear upon returning.
Seventeen-year-old Leeds midfielder Crew received a first call-up to the Wales international senior squad for June’s friendlies and the teen was handed a debut as a late substitute in Thursday evening’s contest against minnows Gibraltar at the Estadio Algarve.
In doing so, Crew became his country’s youngest player for nearly seven years, equalling the November 2017 feat achieved by club and country teammate Ethan Ampadu at the age of just 17 years and 357 days.
Fellow Leeds star Dan James also returned to action in Thursday’s fixture with a wound from United’s Championship play-off final defeat to Southampton very evident as he sported thick red bandaging around his head.
Yet the biggest story of the night centred around the game’s result itself as a Gibraltar side ranked 203rd out of 210 in FIFA’s rankings held the Dragons to a goalless draw despite a host of chances for Rob Page’s side.
James and Crew were both named on the bench but James was called for as part of a triple-change on the hour mark, less than two weeks after his outing in the play-off final in which he suffered a nasty clash of heads with Southampton’s Kyle Walker-Peters.
Both players were left needing treatment and James eventually continued with a heavily bandaged head, the winger then pictured with a nasty cut across his face in a post-match photograph.
For James, international duty with Wales was next on his agenda and the 26-year-old returned to action in Thursday evening’s friendly, just 11 days after the play-off final loss.
James quickly offered a threat down the left flank but Gibraltar held firm and Page then called for Crew with 11 minutes left. The Leeds youngster went into centre midfield and a neat pass created an opening for fellow international debutante Lewis Koumas of Liverpool who fired a shot just wide.
More chances then presented themselves in nine minutes of added time but Gibraltar held firm to a cause a Thursday evening shock amid Crew’s moment of history.
Ampadu sat out the contest, the Leeds midfielder not named in the matchday squad. Last season’s Leeds loanees Connor Roberts and Joe Rodon had already pulled out of the Wales squad for the June friendlies.