Five minutes was all Archie Gray needed.
On as a substitute at the Azersun Arena in Azerbaijan’s capital Baku for his England Under-21 debut last Friday, the 18-year-old slotted into Lee Carsley’s midfield before sliding a precise shot into the bottom corner.
It was the final flourish of a 5-1 away win in European Championship qualifying and a lightning-quick start for Gray. Yet, for those who have been following his progress at Leeds United in the past 12 months, it was not entirely surprising. There seems to be no limit on what Gray will take in his stride, smiling all the while under his mop of dark hair.
Five weeks ago, he thought he had got his first senior goal for Leeds at Elland Road, wheeling away arms outstretched after a deflected shot beat Leicester City’s Mads Hermansen in a crucial promotion clash. The fact that it was ultimately classed as an own goal seemed cruel, although it did not detract from its importance.
The 5,800-capacity setting in Baku was a long way, in all senses, from a jam-packed Elland Road but Gray’s debut goal for the under-21s, as they added another three points to their total on the road to Euro 2025, underlined the suspicion that this is a player who seems to have no ceiling.
It was Gray’s first call-up at under-21 level as he joined Leeds team-mate Charlie Cresswell in Carsley’s squad, having featured for every England age group since the under-15s. A recent namecheck by senior England manager Gareth Southgate in a press conference showed that Gray’s performances in the 2023-24 Championship — 36 in total — have not gone unnoticed.
County Durham-born Gray also qualifies for Scotland through his father Andy, grandfather Frank and great-uncle Eddie – they all represented that country in their playing careers – but the youngster strongly identifies with the nation of his birth. Given his potential at both right-back and in midfield, that will be a relief to the English Football Association.
It does not mean Scotland will give up on trying to woo him, although recent comments by their senior side’s assistant manager John Carver on the importance of loyalty and having a settled squad before this summer’s Euros in Germany are a sign that they will not rush. Along with Gray, fellow England youth internationals Elliot Anderson, Tino Livramento and Anthony Gordon (all of Newcastle United) are in a group of players eligible for both nations, with the latter handed his senior debut by Southgate last week in a friendly against Brazil.
GO DEEPER
Archie Gray: Not long out of the classroom, but well on his way to making grade at Leeds
“I would be very surprised if somebody comes out from nowhere,” Carver said earlier this month of the options available to Scotland manager Steve Clarke for this summer. “We are more or less settled. Unless we find somebody who is, like, ‘Wow’, an outstanding player.
“I am not going to go down this street of Anderson and Gordon and all this lot, because I am sick of talking about that. If somebody comes from nowhere, I would be very surprised. But we are looking at all the options for now and obviously for the future. Because we have to take it further again after the Euros.
“We have had a few people looking at that situation, along with many others. I think it is important you never stop looking and searching. That’s how it should be. If people think they are comfortable getting a place in the squad, then they become relaxed.”
Being relaxed in new environments has been a strength of Gray’s since making his Leeds debut in the opening game of this season.
His versatility and ability to slot directly into the next age group up with England was on show in his performances in Azerbaijan and then against Luxembourg in Bolton on Tuesday, which totalled 71 minutes, one goal and one assist among some experienced team-mates.
Mixing with the likes of Harvey Elliott (107 Liverpool first-team appearances), Noni Madueke (34 for Chelsea) and others presents another learning experience for Gray. His partnership with Madueke on the right was a stand-out feature of England’s two wins, even if the scorelines (Luxembourg were beaten 7-0) underlined the fact that neither of their opponents presented the most bracing test for a talented team who will head to their Euros in Slovakia next summer, assuming they finish the job in the remaining three matches qualification, as defending champions and one of the favourites.
Archie Gray more than held his own for England Under-21s (Matt McNulty – The FA/The FA via Getty Images)
The matches were, nevertheless, a steady entry point for Gray to make a mark.
Coming off the bench to replace Sheffield United’s Manchester City loanee James McAtee on 83 minutes against Azerbaijan, Gray played in his preferred position in central midfield, occupying a deeper role alongside Liverpool’s Tyler Morton. On the right side of that pair, Gray linked well with Madueke and Millwall’s Brooke Norton-Cuffy when England played out from the back.
With Madueke and Norton-Cuffy pushing on to offer an outlet in attack, Gray repeatedly dropped into the space left at right-back as England built up, as his touch map for those few minutes of action shows.
His movement and positioning created problems for Azerbaijan, most obviously with his goal, which started from him occupying the right-back space and getting the ball moving before a fast break forward. The finish — a cool and composed two-touch strike on the right side of the box after being fed by Norton-Cuffy — was a good reward for an impressive cameo.
Promoted to start against Luxembourg, Gray was used at right-back, which is where he has built the majority of minutes for Leeds this season. Again, that partnership with Madueke worked to good effect, as Gray was able to underlap on the inside and operate between the lines to offer more to the attack, as shown in his touch map.
He had little to do defensively, as the scoreline suggests, but he handled a few one-on-one battles well, with the freedom of his advanced position leaving some gaps that Luxembourg were never able to seriously expose.
An assist for Juventus’ Samuel Iling-Junior to put England 2-0 up shortly before half-time showed good improvisation after a run in behind and a bouncing ball, before he was substituted on 61 minutes with the home side four goals up.
In Southgate’s words, Gray is playing “very, very well” for Leeds.
He has shown he is not fazed by the challenge of stepping up for his country, too.
(Top photo: Matt McNulty – The FA/The FA via Getty Images)
