Daniel Farke’s position at Leeds United has often come under scrutiny despite his brilliant record at Elland Road. He gets questioned for his lack of success at the top level, and his handling of top players often gets criticised.
The Leeds boss’s decision to shield Harry Gray away from the Premier League spotlight has not gone down too well with many fans who want to see the teenager make his debut in the top flight soon.
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While Farke is insistent that the forward needs to play more games for the Under-21s to gain confidence while training with the first team, many believe that he is holding him back at Leeds.
He has battled criticism about his handling of young players throughout his time at Elland Road, and Charlie Cresswell’s success in France since leaving Leeds has been used to frame an opinion about his management of youth.
Charlie Creswell’s veiled dig at Daniel Farke’s record at Leeds is misplaced
Creswell left Leeds to join Toulouse last year after struggling to get first-team minutes under Farke, and has been one of the best defenders in France since last season.
The former Leeds academy star insisted that coaches in France are prepared to give more opportunities to youngsters than in England, and admitted that it is harder for young talent to break into first-teams in English football.
“For young foreign players, I think it’s a great time to come to France and play in Ligue 1”, Cresswell told French outlet Footballlogue.
“Here, many clubs trust young players. Coaches have no problem playing young players. No problem at all.
“Whereas in England, it’s harder to break into the first team because they really see you as a ‘kid’ at 18, 19, or 20 years old… In France, if they think a player is good enough, he will play. He’ll be given opportunities and full confidence.
“As a result, the player feels incredibly good, which can only be beneficial for himself, but also for the club.”
Pour le toulousain Charlie Cresswell 🏴 (23 ans) la 𝗟𝗜𝗚𝗨𝗘 𝟭 est le 𝗠𝗘𝗜𝗟𝗟𝗘𝗨𝗥 𝗖𝗛𝗔𝗠𝗣𝗜𝗢𝗡𝗡𝗔𝗧 pour le développement des 𝗝𝗘𝗨𝗡𝗘𝗦 𝗝𝗢𝗨𝗘𝗨𝗥𝗦 ! 👶 🇫🇷
“Pour les jeunes joueurs étrangers, je pense que c’est un super moment pour 𝘃𝗲𝗻𝗶𝗿 𝗲𝗻 𝗙𝗿𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲… pic.twitter.com/gAg1WZHIxV
— Footballogue (@Footballogue) October 27, 2025
His criticism is directed towards Farke, who didn’t play him more at Leeds. However, his last season at Leeds saw the emergence of one of the best young players in England.
Archie Gray proves Cresswell wrong
The 2023/24 season that convinced Cresswell that he needed to leave Leeds also saw the emergence of Archie Gray under Daniel Farke.
The then 17-year-old midfielder played 44 times in the Championship, while playing the more unfamiliar role of right-back in the team.
Farke trusted a teenage midfielder to hold one of the most important positions in the team, which goes completely against the perception that the manager has created.
The Leeds manager is accused of not trusting young players, but Archie was given the chance, and he played well enough for the German to persist with him.
Cresswell was unlucky that Joe Rodon and Pascal Struijk were brilliant at the heart of the defence, and the Leeds manager had no reason to break up that partnership.
He didn’t play the young defender much because his senior centre-backs were doing a good job, and not due to any perceived bias against young players.
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