Leeds United: Patrick Bamford drops "absolute freak" claim on Archie Gray after Spurs record | OneFootball

After making headlines with his summer move to Tottenham, 18-year-old Archie Gray has already impressed his teammates by smashing a fitness record.

Spurs' £40 million summer signing Archie Gray has already been making a name for himself in the Premier League after breaking a fitness record in his first week at the club.

Former Leeds United teammate Patrick Bamford spoke to the My Mate's A Footballer podcast and revealed that the standout area of Gray's capabilities is his fitness.

The striker, who has only averaged ten minutes per game this season, commented that "the epitome of a fit midfielder is Archie Gray. That guy is a freak. An absolute machine."

Bamford went on to refer to Gray's VO2 max test, which measures how much oxygen the body can use during exercise to assess a player's fitness attributes.

Bamford remarked, "he did the VO2 max test. You basically, you put some kind of mask on that measures and you run on a treadmill until a threshold, until you can’t keep that pace any longer."

“And whatever the record was beforehand, he absolutely smashed out of the park. And afterwards, they were just like, yeah, I don’t think fitness is going to be an issue.”

To be capable of beating seasoned professionals in a fitness test at the age of 18 is an incredibly impressive feat, and is testament to Gray's potential as a footballer at the top level.

Eyebrows were raised in the summer after Spurs splashed the cash to secure the services of the Leeds United academy graduate, but it is evident that the player has a bright future.

He has already made five league appearances so far for Spurs, deputising at centre back as well as in midfield.

The Premier League has for years been renowned for its physicality and the exertion demanded of players to succeed at the top level, and it is clear that with time Gray will fit the bill of an elite midfield talent capable of dominating opposition attackers.

Archie Gray has already proven his physicality at Leeds United

Although Patrick Bamford's comments shed light on some behind the scenes testing not readily available to the public, Archie Gray's performances for Leeds last season should be enough to demonstrate the player's propensity for endurance.

Gray appeared in 44 of Leeds' 46 Championship matches, contributing two assists en route to the playoff final. Despite being a natural holding midfielder, manager Daniel Farke felt that Gray was too effective to keep on the bench, deploying him at right-back for the majority of the season.

This is where Gray showed his defensive prowess. The youngster had a tackle success rate of 64.1% and had a duel success rate of 55%. For comparison, title-winning fullback Ricardo Pereira of Leicester City only managed a 60% tackle success rate and won 54.3% of duels.

For the then-17-year-old to outperform veteran players who have gained elite Premier League experience is a telltale sign of the level at which Gray is capable of operating.

Archie Gray fits with Ange Postecoglou's style

Recently, Spurs manager Ange Postecoglou has changed midfield systems, deploying a lone number 6 with a double pivot of number 8s in front of him. With Dejan Kulusevski moving into central midfield, it has become clear that Postecoglou favours an industrious midfielder, capable of fast running, tough tackles and calmness in possession.

This complements the more technical attributes of James Maddison, whose game centres more around in-possession expertise and the unlocking of defences.

Gray's capabilities could slot him easily into a hardened number 8 or a traditional number 6 position, as he has shown he has the required fitness, but also anticipation and effective reading of the game to hold Postecolgou's desired structure.

Whether he will have a full run of games in the side is another issue, but it is certain that Archie Gray has a bright future ahead of him and can fill the shoes of Postecoglou's starting midfield when called upon.