Archie Gray finally seems to be showing his worth to Tottenham Hotspur following his move from Leeds United.
Gray joined the north London side for £40 million in the summer but has been forced to bide his time for proper minutes, which look set to arrive on a regular basis now the cup competitions have started.
His full debut came in last week’s 2-1 victory over Leeds‘ opponents today Coventry City, a game in which former Whites loanee Djed Spence outshone him with a goal.
However, Gray received heaps of praise from Spurs’ local media for his performance in their 3-0 win over Qarabag in the Europa League.
Spurs were down to 10 men for almost the entirety of that match but Gray was hailed as one of their side’s star performers, meaning more starts are likely to be around the corner.
Gray hails what Stuart Dallas did at Leeds
Gray is undoubtedly the golden boy to come out of Leeds’ academy in recent years, possibly even since James Milner all the way back in 2002.
As a result of his rapid progression up the footballing world, those who have worked closely with him throughout his career have spoken very highly of him recently.
Former Leeds U21s coach Mark Jackson says he knew Gray would be special from an early age, while Stuart Dallas recalled how hard he used to work when they were both injured.
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And now in an interview with Sky Sports, Gray wanted to return the favour to all those who praised him in the media recently, but none more so than former Leeds teammate Dallas.
“I respect all of them and I’m really grateful for all of them, all three of them. What they have done for me is amazing and I am really lucky to have come across them all along my way.
“They are all amazing guys, and Stu especially, he helped me a lot, especially coming in as a player, as a senior player. He took me under his wing over the last few years and he really helped me along the way.”
What Dallas said about Gray after time together at Leeds
As mentioned, Dallas recently spoke very highly of Gray in an interview with Sky Sports, having actually spent a lot of time together in the treatment room.
Dallas, of course, spent two years on the sidelines prior to his retirement and for much of the first year, Gray was with him as a 16-year-old.
Dallas could not believe how hard Gray used to work to get himself back fit and says his desire to go the extra mile is what singled him out to other youngsters.
He said: “For me to have him in the gym as well, he got injured for quite a while but never once complained. I always tell the story about him that he’d have been given his programme in the morning, and it would have been pretty long for him.
“He was still doing his education at the times, so he’d have done one part of his gym programme and then do his education. By the time his education was done, I’d have finished and I was gone.
“Every other player was gone, but I’d return in the evening with my kids in the pre-academy, and when I’d comeback, Archie would still be in the gym. I’d say, ‘what are you still doing here?’
“He’d say he’s finishing off his programme and that to me showed this kid wants it and is going to get it, because anyone else would’ve been gone, ‘there’s no coaches here or staff, I’ll go.’ But no he was still finishing is core, or whatever he had to do and that to me showed he’s different and special.”