Leeds United boss Daniel Farke sends England manager Gareth Southgate 'crucial' Archie Gray message

The 47-year-old was speaking to reporters ahead of Leeds' visit to Rotherham United this weekend where 17-year-old Gray is in line to feature from the start once again. Despite only making his professional debut in the season opener against Cardiff City, Gray has started 13 of Leeds' 16 Championship games this season and has been named in each and every matchday squad.

Leeds' prodigious teenager returned from international duty with England's Elite League Squad - formerly known as the Under-20s - prematurely this month as the club look to manage his workload carefully, as part of an agreement between United and the Football Association. Farke offered his thoughts candidly on Gray's participation with the Under-19s last month, expressing his dismay at Leeds' stand-in right-back featuring in all three of their October fixtures, and now says he believes the Leeds midfielder has 'outgrown' youth international football.

"I'm very happy because I think it was definitely the right call for him [to return to Thorp Arch]," Farke said on Wednesday. "I think he will be quite crucial also for England in the mid-and-long-term future on international level. [We] shouldn't concentrate on this [youth] level too much on the short term success, especially when they are friendlies or perhaps against age groups that he's already outgrown."

Gray participated at the Under-17 European Championships over the summer and was called up to the Under-19 group at the beginning of 2023/24. He has swiftly progressed up another youth international level, making his England U20 debut against Italy last week, before being given additional time off by Farke in recent days for his 'physical and mental wellbeing'.

The Leeds boss shared his belief that Gray could play a 'crucial' role in the future of the England national team in what could be interpreted as a message to current Three Lions manager Gareth Southgate. Leeds' budding teenager remains some way off a senior international call-up and is yet to be named in England's Under-21 squad but Farke forecasts a bright future for club and country, which appears to have driven the decision to protect Gray from additional fixtures, which the German deems needless.

"It's obviously a great honour to represent your country. I don't want to take this away and also a good experience for him but [we] also have to make sure in which moment it makes sense and it's definitely the right call.

"Since Tuesday he's back in our team training and he's feeling refreshed and recharged.

"I'm grateful that everyone was on the same page," Farke said, on dialogue between the club and FA.