Roberto De Zerbi has now sent a clear message regarding Archie Gray’s reduced minutes at Tottenham Hotspur, with the Italian outlining exactly how he views the youngster despite his diminished role in recent weeks.
There has been an obvious shift in approach at Tottenham Hotspur since Roberto De Zerbi took charge of the club a few months ago.
Before his appointment, there was a clear reliance on younger players, particularly Archie Gray in midfield, but that has since eased.
Instead, the Italian has placed greater trust in the more experienced figures within the squad, resulting in reduced minutes for players such as Gray under the new Tottenham manager.
Roberto De Zerbi opens up on Archie Gray’s Tottenham future
Under both Thomas Frank and Igor Tudor, Gray made 17 starts, but under De Zerbi, he has started just once, with most of his appearances coming from the bench.
Bergvall, meanwhile, has struggled with injuries for much of the season and has therefore seen limited game time, a trend that has continued under De Zerbi despite the midfielder also managing one start.
Speaking ahead of Tottenham’s clash against Leeds United – where the Lilywhites will welcome Gray’s former side to Tottenham Hotspur Stadium – De Zerbi discussed the youngster’s lack of minutes and the role he believes suits him best.
The Tottenham boss told football.london: “He’s very young. Big potential as a player. I think he can become the future. I’m sure he can become the future of this club, the captain of this club.
“He has to understand better what will be his position on the pitch because he can play in a lot of positions but I would like him more specific in his positions. We are working with him on that with individual meetings.”
Spurs youngster faces battle for regular starts
De Zerbi’s comments will certainly ease concerns from a section of the fanbase who would have been wondering why one of the best performers from earlier in the season has been limited to cameos off the bench.
However, we can learn from those substitute appearances about the position De Zerbi is looking to deploy Gray in.
In his one start under De Zerbi, we saw the Italian use Gray as the defensive midfield player shielding the backline. In the clash against Brighton, we saw Gray replace Yves Bissouma and form a partnership with Rodrigo Bentancur in the pivot role.
He was an unused substitute in the last two games for Spurs, and that really is down to the competition in the squad. The youngster will certainly have to prove himself under the Italian if he is to earn a starting berth once more.