Leeds United look set to be without influential midfielder Tyler Adams for a significant period after he was forced to undergo surgery on his hamstring injury.
What's the latest on Tyler Adams' injury?
The USA international picked up the problem in the warm-up ahead of Leeds' win against Wolverhampton Wanderers earlier this month and must now go under the knife to fix the issue, which could rule him out for most of the remaining Premier League fixtures.
Club and international teammate Weston McKennie spoke about the impact of losing Adams during an interview with JER Sports Journalist.
He said: “Devastating what happened, obviously. Hopefully, he recovers quickly, and he can be back with us soon."
Javi Gracia will be thinking carefully about how to replace the former RB Leipzig man in his side and may look towards summer signing Darko Gyabi, who has mustered just seven minutes of Premier League action since swapping the Etihad for Elland Road.
Who could replace Adams at Leeds?
Gyabi's lack of minutes suggests that neither Gracia nor Jesse Marsch trusted him to be a starter in the top flight, so the Spanish boss may instead consider 17-year-old Archie Gray, who is already considered a first-team player at the Yorkshire outfit.
When asked about who could replace Adams, Gracia said:
“Darko [Gyabi] is one option, the same with another young player as well, Archie. These are the players [who] are usually training with us in that position.
“Now we have Marc [Roca], Weston [McKennie], Darko [and] Archie [who] are the players. They usually train as midfielders and we have to take the decision for the next games, if Tyler is out, to choose the best option for us."
Gray is more of an attacking option than Adams but given Leeds have often struggled to break defences down this season, Gracia should perhaps consider adding some more creativity into his midfield, especially if he could be protected by more physical options such as Marc Roca and McKennie.
The teenager boasts one goal and four assists in 21 appearances for the U21s, which includes two assists in the Premier League 2 so far this campaign, which is an impressive return for someone so young.
After he agreed to a professional contract at Elland Road recently, the youngster earned plenty of praise from TEAMtalk editor James Marshment on Twitter.
He said: "Great to see Archie Gray tied down, an unreal talent who has every chance at making it big. The Gray legacy at Leeds now very much into its third generation."
Gray certainly looks to have a huge amount of potential and if Gracia puts his faith in him for upcoming games, there seems no reason why he couldn't help fill the gap left after Adams' injury blow. It would be a gamble given the club's position in the table, but youthful exuberance could be exactly what the Whites require.