As Leeds United fans know only too well, Archie Gray is capable of performing well in multiple positions. The England Under-21 international lined up at left-back for Tottenham Hotspur last night as they were held to a 2-2 draw by Italian outfit Roma in the Europa League.
It was Gray's 12th outing for Spurs since joining the Premier League side in a £40m deal from the Whites last summer. Gray, primarily a central midfielder, was often used by United in the right-back berth.
His maturity and flexibility to play numerous roles has earned him plenty of praise from Spurs chief Ange Postecoglou. Speaking at his pre-match press conference ahead of Tottenham's forthcoming encounter with Fulham, the Australian said: "There's a real maturity at only 18.
"We asked him to play left-back, he has never played that position in his life but does it with a real efficiency and calmness. I am so excited by Archie and that's another positive for us that we have another 18-year-old who just plays and no one mentions that he is 18, they just measure his performance and, like I said, I am asking him to do different jobs.
"It would probably be more comfortable for him if he was settled in one position but he is playing football at a really high level in Europe and the Premier League. That's going to set us up really well for the player that he is going to become. I thought Lucas [Bergvall] was really good when he came on last night, he made an impact. With everything else we're building, there is some real excitement around the young players as well."
Mats Hummels snatched a late equaliser for Claudio Ranieri's Roma to frustrate Spurs at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. "It was a tough game for us," acknowledged Gray, who has yet to start for Tottenham in the league. "We had to dig deep in the first 20 minutes and the last 20 minutes.
"Apart from that, I thought played well. We were good on the counter-attacks. But the last moment cost us, and we will learn from the mistakes.
"Roma are a top team and sometimes top teams will have spells attacking us. Sometimes you can do your best and still concede."