Spend time in the company of Archie Gray and the first thing you'll notice is that, at 18, he has the maturity of a grizzled veteran. The second is that potential and what may not happen when it comes to Tottenham.
“We have a very young team and that brings a lot of potential and room to learn,” he told Mail Sport.
“But it's all good to say that… we want to try and win things this year. That's our goal.
“It's all very well to say you'll be good in the future, but you can always say that because you can always buy young players and you can always say you have room to learn.”
Gray is 18 years old and one of 14 players in Tottenham's first team aged 25 or under.
Alongside Mikey Moore (17), Lucas Bergvall (18) and Will Lankshear (19), Gray is incredibly highly regarded and seen as a future Premier League and England star. Expectations are sky high.
But given that Tottenham are currently enduring a 16-year drought of winning a trophy – they last lifted one when Juande Ramos' side defeated Chelsea to win the Carabao Cup in 2008 – by Manchester United Beating them in the cup quarter-final on Thursday is imperative and Gray is eyeing a starring role.
He has been taken under the wing of Son Heung-min and James Maddison, while Brennan Johnson has built a very close relationship with Gray, so much so that they recently tried to coordinate the eventual celebration of the teenager's first goal.
“They are world-class players, but off the field they are ultimately just normal people,” he explains. 'In the dressing room they are normal boys. When you look from the outside you think “wow, I'm playing with these guys on FIFA” because that's how I looked at it when I first went in!
'It sounds a bit strange, but I was still a bit impressed.
'But they are just normal guys who really help me every day. I think the difference is that when it comes to working on the training pitch, it's 100 percent every day. Once they leave the field, they are really great to have in the locker room. It's a great group.'
Gray's demeanor is very composed; he is a character who rarely gets flustered and it was one of the reasons, along with his technical skills at such a young age, that Ange Postecoglou was so keen to sign him from Leeds in the summer.
After a topsy-turvy transfer saga that at one point saw Gray join Brentford from his boyhood club Leeds, he eventually ended up at Tottenham in a deal worth around £40 million. The move made him the fourth most expensive 18-year-old in the world.
His last appearance for Leeds, a club synonymous with his family with great uncle Eddie, a club legend, grandad Frank, father Andy and brothers Harry, Charlie and Jacob all playing for them, was a 1-0 defeat in the play- offs against Southampton. Wembley.
Even now, six months later, it still stings. The move and the way his chapter in Yorkshire ended after starting out as a young ball boy left fans devastated.
“This year I've had a lot of ups and huge downs, probably the worst in football losing the play-off final and learning from such experiences,” he adds, after a pause for reflection.
'Then I sign for Tottenham, where I learn a lot, in a different role to the one I had at Leeds, but it's learning and adapting to that. What matters is that I work hard every day to get into the team and I will continue to do that. I enjoy it.
“It's been a good year, but I'm the type of person who doesn't like to get too excited or too down when things go bad. I stay in the middle and that's how I've always been and how I've always learned to be. I think that really helped me along the way.”
Learning is Gray's buzzword these days. Learning to live in London and away from family for the first time – with a little help from his girlfriend Gracie.
Learn Spanish with the help of a private teacher to communicate better with teammates. Learning to improve his chess game. Learning to get better on the driving range, his sanctuary where he goes to unwind. And, crucially, learning to play in different positions under Postecoglou.
At Leeds, Gray routinely operated in central midfield. At Tottenham this season he has made 17 appearances at right back, left back, center back and central midfield.
Ahead of Thursday night's clash with Manchester United, are there any concerns about becoming a jack of all trades and master of none?
“No, I don't really focus on what position I have now,” he says.
“Look, this year and last year I'm more than happy to play anywhere just to get the minutes on the field.
'I just try to take every opportunity I get and just try to stay in the team, but like I said, I've been playing central midfield since a young age… but I enjoy playing anywhere on the pitch and just get the minutes.'
Gray talks to Mail Sport's pitch in the Netherlands at the end of an England U21 camp where they played two tough games against number 1 ranked Spain and number 4 Netherlands.
Behind us, in a catering area, stands Jude Bellingham and remaining fans shout like groupies at a concert to get his attention.
Despite his 276,000 followers on Instagram and his growing reputation, Gray still flies under the radar. Just last month he returned to Leeds for a day out with former teammate and close friend Ethan Ampadu, but was mistaken for his younger brother Harry, who is at Leeds' academy.
Gray knows a superstar is on the horizon for both club and country, not least for England after so many England U21s were promoted to the senior team in the last camp under Lee Carsley.
'We all watched (the seniors) and it was great to see Tay (Harwood-Bellis) score that goal because it shows the route and especially when you do well with your club, stay consistent and especially when you get here comes,” he says.
“Do your best, stay consistent, and there will be a path for you.
“A lot of guys will be looking at that and it gives us hope. It makes us more excited to keep pushing and get into that first team because players like that have shown there is a way.”
Gray came into the season with a handful of goals, including capturing the shirt from Leeds-born Manchester City striker Erling Haaland – a total no-go after a 4-0 demolition job of the champions last weekend.
The other was winning a trophy and that quest continues on Thursday.
Stay patient to win in the future? Good luck telling Gray that.
Comments