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Leeds United youngsters Darko Gyabi and Sonny Perkins make England under-19s debuts
Darko Gyabi and Sonny Perkins are both in line to make their England under-19s debuts with the Leeds United pair named in the starting line-up vs Montenegro.
Both highly-rated 18-year-olds arrived in west Yorkshire during the summer as the club beefed up a formidable academy squad, with Gyabi arriving from Manchester City after the sale of Kalvin Phillips, while Perkins completed a contentions move after leaving West Ham.
Both were in the starting line up as the Whites under-21s thrashed Southampton last Friday (16 September) and are now in line to make the step up from England under-18s to under-19s on Wednesday night (21 September).
Yorkshire Evening Post reporter Joe Donnohue posted on his Twitter account on Wednesday afternoon: “Darko Gyabi set to start for England Under-19s in this evening’s U19 EURO qualifier against Montenegro. A debut for him at this level.”
He then followed up by adding: “Sonny Perkins, too. Double debut.”
Talent
Big things are expected of both the new arrivals in Leeds colours and based on their start to life at the club it would be no surprise to see them break into the first-team before long.
Jesse Marsch has indicated he is happy to have young talents in his set up, although the likes of Joe Gelhardt, Sam Greenwood and Crysencio Summerville could do with more opportunities.
It is clear that the youngsters at Thorp Arch are a strong group, with Perkins winning the Premier League 2 Player of the Month award last week before adding his sixth goal at that level since he arrived in the Saints win.
Gyabi had the unenviable task of winning fans over having arrived as a young midfielder from the Etihad just as a local hero at that position had gone the other way.
Although the deals were separate it was hard for them to be kept apart in supporters’ minds so the teenager not being first-team ready might have seemed a disappointing return.
But he is very much one for the future, and at his current rate it might be the near future.
With the international break extending the gap without any first-team Whites games fans will likely have an eye on the progress of their prized youngsters as they make the step up.
In other Leeds United news, another new arrival this summer had proved himself by winning a physical fight with one of his senior teammates.