Leeds United: Daniel Farke makes Charlie Crew admission after Watford inclusion
Leeds United head coach Daniel Farke says he “would not have been nervous” to play 17-year-old Charlie Crew against Watford on Friday (29 March).
The teenage midfielder was included in the first-team squad for the first time against the Hornets, with Farke supplementing his injury-riddled squad with the promising youngster as the Whites drew 2-2 at Vicarage Road.
In post-match quotes reported by LeedsLive, Farke said of Crew’s inclusion: “Necessity and faith. We did not have any other outfield players available.
“[He] showed us quality [in training]. If he had not shown this we would have brought a third goalkeeper.
“[It is] a sign he has done very well. Very difficult for someone so young to come into a moment like this. Big experience for him.
“[I] would not have been nervous playing him. A horrible outcome from this break to lose so many players, but Charlie deserved this.”
Daniel Farke has faith in Charlie Crew
Farke’s comments reveal that he did not name Crew in his first-ever first-team squad lightly.
The 37 Championship appearances racked up by fellow teenager Archie Gray are evidence that the Leeds boss is more than willing to put his trust in youth if they impress him sufficiently – and, in Gray’s case, he has been rewarded with a series of superbly mature performances.
It is unlikely that Crew will enjoy the same meteoric rise as his 18-year-old counterpart, but a breakthrough into the senior set-up may be closer than he would have dared hope before an international break which decimated the Whites’ squad with injuries and opened the door for him to impress in training.
The combination of Ampadu taking on a more regular role in central defence since Pascal Struijk’s season-ending injury in December, Gray featuring primarily at right-back this term and Ilia Gruev’s short-term absence have left Farke light on options to partner Glen Kamara in the centre of the park.
If Crew continues to impress, he may even earn a first-team debut before the end of the campaign.
In other Leeds United news, the Whites are set to receive a “significant percentage” of any fee for their former striker.
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