Tottenham youngster Archie Gray welcomes Stephen Gerrard and Jude Bellingham as role models for midfield — “He can do it all.”

Nonetheless, he was impressed with his willingness to play across defense, including playing at centre-back. But under Thomas Frank, Gray has already begun midway through the second inning.

When asked which player he wanted to model the game as a young man, Gray said:

“If I was younger and I was going to say I am a midfielder, I would probably say Stephen Gerrard, he’s what I want to be a midfielder.

“He can pass, he can work, he can shoot, he can do everything on the pitch of football, for the midfielder – I think it’s the best when doing all the parts of the game – I think it’s one player I can respect.

“He’s just a role model and obviously, he’s a very good role model and fair for the youth and all players, especially those in the game like Jude Bellingham, and especially as a midfielder.”

He spoke with a group of students at Calford School, one of the Spurs’ soccer development partners, and reflected on his time as an academy player.

“It’s great to talk to these young players because it reminded me of my days as a child.

“When I was younger, we hoped that Leeds’ first team players were providing advice to the young people, so we could have the same impact on this group.”

The 19-year-old could be in line this weekend when he returned to Elland Road due to a clash with Leeds at 12:30 UK time on Saturday.

“I can’t wait,” Gray said. “That’s my hometown. It’s where I grew up and I have a lot of love for Leeds, but I’m playing for Tottenham now. We’ve obviously been working on the weekends and I’m looking forward to it.

“We definitely started the season. These last two results weren’t what we wanted, but it’s football – you can’t win every game. You’ll have some draws along the way.

“I think it’s important that we don’t lose those games. It just shows our mentality and we’re going back to all of those games, especially football isn’t always going the way you want and coming back to those games.

Frank’s side has formed a tendency to save the game slower, and Gray believes it reflects the team’s overall resilience.

“I think it’s always been part of this group. Whether it’s the first XI or whether it’s on the bench or not, we have a strong group. Everyone sticks together.

“The most important thing is that managers are always telling them to stay in the game no matter what. There’s a counter attack and if they’re always in the game, they’re always sprinted. In football, they don’t know what’s going to happen and keep fighting.