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Leeds United: Phil Hay predicts Archie Gray to miss out as Daniel Farke faces dilemma v Southampton
Phil Hay has predicted Archie Gray will not be included in the Leeds United starting lineup against Southampton on Saturday (30 September).
Speaking on The Square Ball podcast on Thursday (28 September), the Athletic journalist said he expects Glen Kamara to continue in midfield after the 27-year-old played well alongside Ethan Ampadu in the convincing victory over Watford.
He added that Daniel Farke would be happy to select either the Finland international or the 17-year-old Gray as he has moved into the position managers “love”, where they have choices over which players to select in their lineup.
“He kind of Rolls-Royced it, didn’t he Kamara?” said Hay. “Him and Ampadu together seemed to work pretty much instantly, even though they hadn’t had any significant time together on the pitch.
“I think it kind of proves that Farke has moved into that zone that managers love, where they talk about good problems and good decisions.
“If you decide to play Gray, you are probably happy with that decision. If you decide to play Kamara, you’re probably happy with that decision too on the basis of how he played against Watford. I suspect he probably does keep Kamara in the team.”
Strength in depth
These are the kind of decisions that managers want to be having, as Farke has two excellent options in front of him heading into the game against Southampton.
It seems likely that he will choose to play Kamara again after he slotted in pretty seamlessly alongside Ampadu in the middle of the park in the 3-0 win over Watford.
It doesn’t mean Gray is completely out of the picture because there are plenty of games still to come and he will get minutes in the team after impressing in the early stages of the season.
But the Finn just has more experience in there and this is a game against a side that like to get the ball down and play, meaning he could offer a bit more than his teammate.
There is nothing to suggest Farke won’t revert back to the teenager, though, as he has already put plenty of faith in him this campaign and he wouldn’t hesitate in doing so again.
In other Leeds United news, the club could be set to receive a cash windfall after an £88million development has emerged.