Where are they now? Leeds United's U17 debutants include legends, clubless duo and Chelsea scout

The teenager was 17 years and 147 days old when he first stepped onto the pitch to play competitive football for the club of his father Andy, grandfather Frank and great uncle Eddie. It marked the continuation of a family tradition, following 17-year-old debuts for Andy and Eddie and Frank’s senior bow at 18. The younger Gray’s debut was long-expected due to his proximity to the first team as a 15-year-old under Marcelo Bielsa and Jesse Marsch predicted the youngster would play last season until injuries, illness and a Premier League relegation scrap dictated otherwise. But the dawn of a new era at Leeds, with Daniel Farke in charge, heralded Gray’s arrival proper in men’s football. He made his debut in the first game of the Championship season, a 2-2 Elland Road draw with Cardiff City and has since made himself at home in Farke’s midfield, forming a solid and at times spectacular partnership with Ethan Ampadu.

Gray arguably shone brightest in his last outing, a surprise selection at right-back, in which he nullified a tricky Bristol City winger and coped almost effortlessly with the physical demands of the full-back role in Farke’s system. Boss Daniel Farke was glowing in his praise of the precocious talent after the game, saying: “One thing is you can have an idea but the most important topic is that you have players who bring it on the pitch and for that I think yes, Archie was there with a terrific performance, especially against the ball, but also with the ball. I think he was quite energetic in several situations and to adapt that quick to this position, it says it all about him as a character and about his potential.”

So comfortable has the 17-year-old looked in the second tier that the tenderness of his years has been less of a talking point than it perhaps should. But Gray is far from the youngest to have made a senior debut for Leeds United – in fact there are 20 players who were handed a first team appearance at a younger age, including a number of club legends. Peter Lorimer remains the club's youngest ever player, appearing against Southampton in September 1962 aged just 15 years and 289 days. The list also includes Lorimer’s fellow legends Gary Sprake, Billy Bremner and John Charles. But only 10 men have been handed a debut before their 17th birthday. Here they are.