Since leaving Leeds United, Archie Gray hasn’t had the start to life at Tottenham he would’ve wanted, but manager Ange Postecoglou is under no illusion about his future potential.
Gray was handed his seventh start for Spurs on Thursday night as Postecoglou’s side were held to a 2-2 draw in north London by AS Roma in the Europa League.
However, not one of Gray’s starts have come in the Premier League as of yet, with his minutes in that competition so far this season equating to less than a single half of football.
What’s more, Postecoglou has also failed to hand Gray the opportunity to nail down a preferred position. He played left-back last night, but has also featured in central defence, at right-back, and for a handful of minutes, midfield.
Long-term, Gray’s ideal position remains midfield but with so many players ahead of him at Spurs right now, it is difficult to see where the minutes will come for him there.
Postecoglou makes exciting Gray prediction
There had recently been some talk about a potential loan return to Elland Road for Gray, but Spurs have made their stance clear that he will be staying.
Thankfully for Gray, he still very much has time on his side and minutes for him in a competition like the Europa League will still prove valuable.
And despite playing in a plethora of positions, Gray has not only impressed Spurs’ media in the time he has spent on the field, but also his manager Postecoglou.
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Speaking to Football.London after Spurs’ 2-2 draw with Roma, Postecoglou spoke of the ‘maturity’ in which Gray plays with at just 18, as well as the excitement he has for his future potential.
He 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 & 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.”
Tottenham media verdict on Gray performance
It was quite a difficult night for Spurs defensively and in the first half Gray was coming directly up against Roma’s best player Paulo Dybala.
However, Football.London shared the same opinion as Postecoglou regarding Gray’s performance in their post-match player ratings.
Gray was particularly praised for some of the crosses he delivered with his left-foot, that should really have resulted in his first assist for the club when Dominic Solanke headed against the post.