Leeds United youngster Harry Gray has been in the spotlight among the fanbase once again this week after scoring two goals in a 3-2 loss to Accrington Stanley for the U21s.
Harry-Gray
The 17-year-old striker has scored seven goals in eight games in the EFL Trophy and Premier League 2 combined, to go along with a hat-trick against Scunthorpe in the English National League Cup.
Whilst Gray is, as evidenced by his goalscoring form, an exciting prospect for the Whites, he is not an attacking midfielder who will come up to the first-team and improve Daniel Farke's side in the wide areas, where they have been struggling on the right wing with Brenden Aaronson.
Why Leeds need an upgrade on Brenden Aaronson
The USA international, to his credit, did play a key role in the club's 2-1 win over West Ham United last month, scoring his first goal of the season from close range.
However, that was only his second goal in 48 Premier League appearances for Leeds across two seasons at the level, per Sofascore, which is a concern moving forward.
The American winger did assist Lukas Nmecha against Nottingham Forest before the international break, but he has yet to prove that he can deliver a consistent end product in the top-flight.
Brenden-Aaronson
Two goals and four assists in 48 top-flight matches is far from an impressive haul for the former RB Salzburg man, which is why the Whites may look for an upgrade on him.
Whilst Gray is shining at academy level, Farke could look beyond him and to the U18s to find the player who could end Aaronson's Elland Road career, in Sam Alker.
Why Sam Akler could end Brenden Aaronson's Leeds career
The 16-year-old talent, who does not turn 17 until next March, has caught the eye with his performances at youth level, so much so that he has attracted interest from across Europe.
Borussia Dortmund and Bayer Leverkusen have both been credited with interest in the attacking midfielder, which speaks to the level of talent that he has shown during his time at Thorp Arch.
The teenage whiz, who was described as a "standout" in the academy set-up by Como scout Ben Mattinson, has delivered two goals and two assists in 15 games as an attacking midfielder, per Transfermarkt.
|Youngest Leeds players to debut in the Premier League|
|Player|Debut age|
|---|
|Aaron Lennon|16 years, 4 months, 7 days|
|James Milner|16 years, 10 months, 6 days|
|Rob Bowman|17 years, 2 months, 16 days|
|Wesley Boyle|17 years, 5 months, 22 days|
|Alan Maybury|17 years, 5 months, 26 days|
|Harry Kewell|17 years, 6 months, 8 days|
|Alan Smith|18 years, 17 days|
|Andy Gray|18 years, 1 month, 29 days|
|Stephen McPhail|18 years, 1 month, 29 days|
|Noel Whelan|18 years, 4 months, 4 days|
|Via Transfermarkt|
If Farke were to hand Alker a debut in the next match, he would rank between Aaron Lennon and James Milner in the list of the club's youngest debuts in Premier League history.
This shows both how rare it is for a 16-year-old to debut in the Premier League and the level of talent you need to do so, given the careers that Lennon and Milner went on to have.
james-milner-leeds-premier-league-transfer
Leverkusen and Dortmund seemingly feel that the England U16 international is a huge talent, given their reported interest, and that is why handing him a first-team debut in the coming weeks could be a smart move by Leeds.
Giving the 16-year-old ace a chance in the Premier League would show him that there is a clear pathway to regular football at Elland Road, which could prevent him from being tempted by the prospect of a move to Germany.
Aaronson made the move from attacking midfield to right wing this season in the Premier League, which is why it is his career at the club could be under threat by Alker's emergence in the first-team, as the youngster could make a similar transition, unlike Gray, who is a natural number nine.
If the English attacking midfielder can make the step up and show that he belongs at first-team level, he could develop into the upgrade that Leeds need on the wing, negating any need for Aaronson at Elland Road.