Leeds United: Another international midfielder could be set for Daniel Farke bout - View | OneFootball

Charlie Crew could be required to step up for Daniel Farke and Leeds United following Ethan Ampadu and Ilia Gruev injury blows.

Leeds United have hit a midfield crisis following long-term injuries to Ethan Ampadu and Ilia Gruev in back-to-back fixtures this week, which could open the door for Charlie Crew to come in and impress.

Losing two specialist and experienced holding midfielders at the same time is extremely unlucky for Daniel Farke. Ampadu and Gruev's issues seriously threaten Leeds' chances of success this season, as they face their promotion hopes derailing due to a lack of depth and options available to the German.

Leeds' club captain and talisman was forced off just before half-time against Coventry City and was replaced by Ao Tanaka. Farke has since confirmed that the knee injury that he sustained has ruled him out until close to January.

It's a huge blow for the remainder of the games in 2024, which has only been made worse following the news of Gruev's injury. Leeds have a real predicament in midfield now after he hobbled out of the draw against Norwich City with a knee issue of his own.

The Yorkshire Evening Post are reporting that after the required surgery to a significant injury to his meniscus, he is looking at months out of action, rather than weeks. There has been plenty of optimism at Leeds this summer, but there is now added pressure on their midfield.

Leeds' midfield issue

Not only is Ampadu the club captain and one of the first names on the teamsheet, but a case could be made that he is Leeds' most important player. He can operate as either a first-team defensive midfielder or as a centre-back, whilst his leadership is influential on the pitch.

His injury problem would have been a significant blow anyway, but for Leeds to lose the other specialist No.6 in their squad at the same time is an unprecedented situation for the club. Gruev and Ampadu each played close to every minute during the second half of last season, and Leeds have very little depth to deal with two problems in the same area.

It has left the club in a situation that not many would have expected going into the campaign, as they only have four senior midfielders at the club. More than that could have been considered overkill, especially given the young talent in their academy at Farke's disposal.

Joe Rothwell took his place alongside Tanaka against Norwich, which is likely to be the main duo at the base of Leeds' midfield in the coming weeks and months. Nominally, both are box-to-box midfielders, but Tanaka has played plenty of his career as a holding midfielder and is likely to be Farke's go-to choice for now.

They are stretched extremely thin and cannot afford any further issues, be that during the international break or in the next few fixtures. The current injury crisis threatens to undermine their season, and one answer could still be the free agent market, despite Farke making his thoughts clear on that sort of option recently.

However, there is a special talent waiting in the wings for his chance, having never played a game for Leeds so far. Players like Charlie Crew sometimes require a situation like this to get their big chance.

Charlie Crew's chance at Leeds United

Crew is the latest talented midfielder to come through the ranks in recent years. He was given a professional contract earlier this year, with the 18-year-old agreeing terms to stay for another two years, which highlights his potential.

Crew started his career at Cardiff City, where he played in the club's academy from the age of seven. In 2022, he transferred to Leeds for an undisclosed fee, joining the club's U-18 team initially, before being promoted to the U-23 team in January 2023.

It's been a rapid rise since then, with Crew involved in the first-team set up, but he isn’t as far along as someone like Archie Gray was at the same age. Despite that, he is regarded as a top talent within the academy, and he won his first senior cap for the Wales national team, alongside Leeds teammates Joe Rodon, Ethan Ampadu, and Dan James against Gibraltar, before ever making a senior appearance for Leeds.

A timely reminder is needed that development is not linear, meaning that the timing of his debut does not have to mirror Gray's, but Crew now has a huge opportunity to impress. He has still yet to take to the field for the Whites but has made the bench on a number of occasions over the last few seasons.

He is often the most inexperienced player named among the substitutes but Leeds may well need to lean on him at the conclusion of upcoming fixtures, or in an even greater capacity should anything happen to either Tanaka or Rothwell.

He has been on Leeds' bench six times in all competitions already this season, and you would think a loan move could be on the horizon for Crew in the next year or two, but he will hope that he now has a chance to impress.

It's not the ideal environment to thrust a young player into, and certainly would not have been the conditions Farke or Leeds would have hoped to give Crew his chance, but sometimes needs must.

Leeds are gunning for automatic promotion, and the question will be whether Crew is good enough cover until January for a side chasing down the top two. However, Chris Rigg of Sunderland is younger than Crew and impressing for a side in the automatic places, which showcases the idea of being old enough if you are indeed good enough.