Leeds United boss Daniel Farke's careful Harry Gray update as he puts teen in important category

A back problem disrupted the teenager's involvement with Farke's senior side in the summer. He was among the handful of academy players taken to Germany for the pre-season training camp and looked the part, scoring goals and giving senior attackers a difficult time. But the injury curtailed his time with the first team squad and kept him out of action until mid-January when he returned to play for the Under 21s in Premier League 2 fixtures.

The striker's first goals of the season came in a brace against Derby County and he has started four of the 21s' last five outings. Gray has also been welcomed back into training with Farke's seniors but the manager is not prepared to say much more on the precocious talent just yet.

"With Harry, like always you know before a player really makes his first step into the spotlight I'm always careful not to speak about his strengths and praise him too much," said Farke. "He's with us and trains well, develops well and got match experience with the 21s, is doing really well, his rehab is done and has been back in team training for several weeks. We'll look carefully after him."

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Expectations high for Harry Gray

Gray's footballing heritage and familial association with the club adds a certain level of expectation. His older brother Archie took to senior football like a duck to water last season as a 17-year-old and secured himself a £40m summer move to Premier League outfit Tottenham Hotspur, for whom he has played 36 times in domestic and European action in the current campaign. The pair's father Andy played for Leeds, as did his father Frank and uncle Eddie.

Leeds were protective of Archie too when he began to take strides towards men's football at Thorp Arch, although then-sporting director Victor Orta publicly proclaimed that watching Gray gave him the same feeling as the first time he saw Kun Aguero play. Farke is in no mood to throw heavy expectations or hype around and is in no hurry when it comes to the latest Gray prospect's development. But he does regard the 16-year-old as a big player for the club's future. "We won't rush it too much," said Farke. "We're happy we have him. He's a player in the category of Sam Chambers who can play an important part in our future."

Farke on Sam Chambers

As for Chambers, Farke is delighted that the 18-year-old has celebrated his birthday with a new three-year contract. Turning prospects into players will be key for Leeds, the manager believes, as they attempt to balance transfer expenditure with homegrown talent development.

READ: Leeds confirm new contract for versatile youngster after first team involvement

"Perfect day for Sam, also his birthday and great news," said Farke. "I like him a lot, we believe in this player. The new contract is not a gift, we believe in him, that he can play a major role for us in the future. Developing our own players is a cornerstone of our beliefs. It's important, it's not like we can always spend money and buy players. The player with the badge, if he comes through the ranks it's a big identification. It's perfect news for him and his family and perfect news for us."