Leeds United boss Daniel Farke has heaped praise on talented Welsh teenager Charlie Crew after promoting him to the senior matchday squad for the first time.
Crew was named on the bench for the games against Watford and Hull City over the Easter weekend, with the 17-year-old having impressed for Leeds' youth-team squads throughout the season.
Indeed, Crew is drawing praise not only from club bosses, but from coaches in the national team setup, too. He has recently been promoted to Wales' U21s squad and there was even talk of England sniffing around him in the hope of swaying his national allegiances. Many have tipped Crew to become a future Wales international.
READ MORE: FAW issue statement on Rob Page's future as Wales boss
READ MORE: The next generation of Wales football stars to emerge over the next year
And if he continues on his current trajectory, the step up might not take too long. Having included him in Leeds' squads over the weekend, Farke said he did not offer the olive branch as simply a PR stunt. The German manager said Crew has impressed in training for some time.
"To be honest, we didn't have any other outfield players available, but it was also not a gift," he told our sister title LeedsLive. "If Charlie hadn't impressed me in the last days in training [he would not have been selected].
“He was one of the players we promoted during this period to help us a bit in terms of numbers in training, but he also showed some quality. If he hadn’t shown this, I would have taken a third goalkeeper just in case something happened.
“It was not a gift, but also a sign he has done really well in recent days. Obviously, it's difficult for a guy who's just 17-years-old to come into such a crucial moment.
“He was also a bit nervous, but good experience for him. I wouldn't have been nervous if I would have had to play him. Obviously, it's not perfect if you have such a situation with many key players in red-hot form, like Willy Gnonto, like Connor Roberts, like Ilia Gruev, [missing].
“It was a horrible outcome of the international break, but, overall, Charlie has done well in training and for that he deserves to be in the squad.”
NEWSLETTER: Sign-up to the WalesOnline Welsh football newsletter so you don't miss a story on the national team
Crew was one of the shining talents within Cardiff City's academy, but when the allure of a category one academy and a then-Premier League side in Leeds came calling, the Bluebirds had their hands tied. Cardiff received a six-figure fee for the teenager.
He has gone from strength to strength since that move to Elland Road in September 2022, though, with Wales U21s boss Matty Jones lavishing him with praise recently.
“Charlie has been our country's captain in every age group so far, and we certainly feel he has the potential to not just captain the U21s but to be a huge prospect in the senior side," Jones said during the winter.
