Amid the at-times turbulent nature of Leeds United in the modern era, one constant at Elland Road has been the impressive production of young talent, with the club regularly churning out exciting assets from the academy ranks.
In the not-too-distant past, the Yorkshire giants notably reaped the rewards of promoting the likes of Alan Smith and James Milner, while more recently, a new local hero was born in the form of England international, Kalvin Phillips.
The 27-year-old racked up 234 appearances in all competitions for the Whites prior to signing for Manchester City on a £45m deal last summer, having previously been hailed as a player who “always plays well” by former boss Marcelo Bielsa.
Among the current crop, manager Daniel Farke has the likes of Jamie Shackleton and Sam Byram to call upon – two further academy graduates – with the latter man having returned to Elland Road earlier this year following spells with West Ham United and Norwich City.
That duo are also joined in the first-team ranks by arguably the most exciting young talent at the club at present in the form of Archie Gray, with the 17-year-old – who has been dubbed “phenomenal” by ex-Leeds man Jermaine Beckford – having started nine Championship games already this season.
Archie Gray’s 2023/24 Championship season by numbers |
|---|
11 games |
9 starts |
0 goals/assists |
1.5 tackles per game |
5.0 balls recovered per game |
81% pass accuracy rate |
60% aerial duels won |
54% total duels won |
6.75 average match rating |
The rise of the precocious playmaker is not only a sign of the faith Farke is willing to put into the youth set-up, but it also indicates the benefits of looking closer to home to find potential diamonds, rather than seeking out costly mistakes in the transfer market.
Who are the best young talents at Leeds United?
While not an academy product himself, one teenager who has sparked much excitement over the past year or so is Italy international, Wilfried Gnonto, with the 19-year-old having joined the club from FC Zurich on a £3.8m deal back in the summer of 2022.
Having been something of an unknown quantity at the time, the one-time Inter Milan asset quickly blossomed into a real fan favourite among the Leeds faithful, earning praise from pundit Noel Whelan, who dubbed him a “firework” for his explosive displays.
The diminutive forward ended the 2022/23 campaign as the real shining light at Elland Road with four goals and four assists in all competitions, memorably scoring in the 2-2 draw away at Old Trafford back in February.
The Verbania-born marksman has since netted once in five league appearances this time around, although that injury-hit start to the season had come after the teenager had angled for a move during the summer, after even submitting a transfer request in his attempts to force an exit
With rumours rife that a January departure could also be on the cards, it remains to be seen how long Farke will have Gnonto at his disposal, hence the need to look elsewhere to help bolster his attacking unit.
With that in mind, one emerging sensation whom the German tactician should look to promote is 19-year-old, Keenan Carole, with the versatile talent seemingly a real “star in the making“, as previously described by journalist Pete O’Rourke.
Who is Keenan Carole?
The fleet-footed winger – who can also operate at left-back if required – is seemingly “one to watch” in the youth set-up, according to O’Rourke, as he possesses that knack for beating his man with ease down the flanks, while having the end product to boot.
Son of one-time Leeds man, Seb Carole, the dazzling youngster boasts a respectable tally of five goals and ten assists in 50 games for the club’s U18 side, while the left-footer also has two assists from 14 outings in the U21 ranks.
As for the current campaign, the Frenchman has provided one assist from his six Premier League 2 appearances, indicating the type of threat he can pose with his “real pace” – as previously noted by BBC Sport journalist, Adam Pope.
While frustratingly hampered by a knee injury last season, the hope will be that Carole can kick on this time around, having already trained with the first-team in recent times as an indication of how highly-rated he is at the club.
The teen whiz was also handed his first professional contract at the club last year, with his father stating at the time just what a talent Keenan is – both in and out of possession:
“I had talent, yes, but I didn’t really like getting hurt. Let’s say that I was not a hard worker. On the other hand, Keenan, one of my three sons, is quite the opposite. He has crazy energy on the pitch, can do a lot of things, with and without the ball.”
Such impressive work ethic, mixed with his direct nature and dribbling prowess should make the prodigious starlet a real star of the future as far as Leeds is concerned, with the hope being that a first-team opportunity arises before too long.
What does the future hold for Keenan Carole?
If the all-action dynamo is looking to cement a place for himself in Farke’s side on a permanent basis, one man that he could look to dethrone is Daniel James, with the Wales international currently the man lining up in that right-wing berth.
The 25-year-old – who joined Leeds from Manchester United in 2021 – had been cast aside by Jesse Marsch last season after spending the year on loan at Fulham, although since returning to Yorkshire, he has become a regular fixture under the new regime.
The one-time Swansea City man already has one goal and four assists to his name in nine Championship outings so far this term, proving that the drop into the second tier has been beneficial in helping him recapture his best form.
That being said, however, the jury is out on whether James is a long-term solution at the club, having previously been described as “headless” by pundit Darren Bunt for his at-times erratic displays in attack.
Club legend Ian Harte has also stated in the past that he is “not a massive fan” of the wideman despite his “raw pace”, with it potentially not set to prove too difficult for a figure like Carole to take his place in the near future.
With the aforementioned Gray already having established himself under Farke, the wait is now on to see when Carole will also be able to shine against senior opposition for Leeds.
