Leeds United progressed through to the next round of the FA Cup 4-1 on Wednesday night, beating Plymouth Argyle on their own patch convincingly even without Daniel James being available for selection.
James had been a key first-team presence for the promotion-chasing Whites until an injury curtailed his impactful season against Norwich City, scoring ten goals and picking up seven assists from 29 appearances up to that point.
It's even led to James gaining deserved recognition by being nominated for Championship Player of the Month for January, despite being in the Elland Road treatment room now.
Daniel Farke could well have James available at his disposal again soon, but if the Welshman picks up another injury further down the line even when he does return, the German manager could look towards the youth talents in West Yorkshire to step up to the mark.
Connor Douglas' numbers at youth level
Able to play down both channels much like the injury-stricken former Manchester United attacker, 18-year-old Connor Douglas could well begin to bang down the door for some senior action soon.
Douglas' form for the U18s during the 2022/23 season would have caught the eye of those with close associations to Leeds, scoring six goals and picking up three assists from 15 games in total.
This season, bumped up to the U21 fold, Douglas has excited those in the youth set-up even more – scoring against Man United U21s in a 2-1 win back in August, a standout result for the exuberant Whites.
Described as being "impressive" when netting two goals on his U21 debut before the Red Devils win by journalist William Jackson, Douglas is yet to get a taster of men's football even despite sticking out with eight outings under his belt in Premier League 2 this term.
That lack of senior action could well change soon, especially with Farke showing that he can shake things up by regularly including the likes of Archie Gray in his starting lineup.
Leeds' next Archie Gray
Douglas making waves in the current Leeds first-team lineup and staying there could well be a stretch still, even with James failing to play in his side's last three matches.
The plethora of attacking talent Farke can call upon in the blink of an eye is rather frightening, utilising the likes of Wilfried Gnonto and Jaidon Anthony if needed when the seasoned first-team presences are in need of a breather.
Yet, nobody expected Gray to make such an impact as a 17-year-old this campaign when gifted his first chance.
Now, Gray is a regular first-teamer whilst still only being a teenager – the versatile gem now onto 32 appearances in all competitions, despite only breaking through into the senior side just this campaign.
Douglas will take some encouragement from Gray's career trajectory, knowing that his time could come soon if everything falls into place.
In the long-term, the 18-year-old could well explode onto the first-team scene when the likes of Summerville and James have potentially moved on from Elland Road.
