DON’T LEAVE US TO ROT
Young Lions hero Gray pleads with Prem bosses to give kids a chance
DEMARAI GRAY has demanded England’s young lions are given a chance to shine in the Premier League.
The Leicester striker wants bosses to start trusting home-grown talent instead of splashing out £30million on new recruits from abroad.
Striker Gray turned in a man-of-thematch show against Poland Under-21s, with a goal and an assist, to send England to the Euro semi-finals.
But far from basking in the glory, he spikily took the chance to speak up for English kids, including himself, who have become frustrated with limited opportunities at their clubs.
Gray was “frustrated” at a lack of games with Leicester (right) last season. He was on the bench too many times for his liking after Ahmed Musa’s arrival. If Riyad Mahrez is sold, Gray is set for a bigger role.
But after seeing England U-20s win the World Cup, and the U-17s reach their Euro final, losing on penalties, Gray says England has the talent in the pipeline for a prosperous future at senior level – if the players are allowed to play first-team football.
Gray said: “Managers have to trust you and give you a chance. If they do we will have more English talent coming on show.
“The young England generation has some very very good players. Hopefully there are opportunities given to all the lads coming up from Under-17 onwards. The future is bright for England.
“We can progress and see young players come through. But it is all about opportunities. Playing at first-team level is how you progress the best.
“You learn about the real game. If opportunities are given you’ll see more of the youngsters coming through.
“I am hungry and want to make my mark. I want to express myself as much as I can. I don’t feel like I have been able to do that as much as I want. These are great occasions to express yourself. I used this tournament last season to motivate me to show what I am capable of.”
Gray’s pace and directness should be well-suited to the top flight, but he’s only made 10 league starts for City, 32 appearances off the bench.
He says he was “down” at times last season, growing impatient, but used the Euro U-21 tournament as “motivation.”
Gray added: “I am pleased to be out there and scoring. I got a goal and an assist and most importantly we got three points against Poland.
“I thought I was ready last season but sometimes you have to be patient.
“Any opportunity you get you’ve got to try to express yourself. All I can do is what I did against Poland and carry it into the next game. I was on the bench a lot last season and it was frustrating. I kind of kept myself motivated with this tournament.
“I didn’t start the first two games here in Poland but I have had to apply myself. I have good people around me and I believe I will get my opportunity.
“Players like Danny Simpson and all the lads at Leicester kept me up at times when I have been down.
“I’m looking forward to the next season with Leicester. I want to progress in this tournament.”
England face a big semi-final test on Tuesday evening and will only discover their opponents tomorrow night, with Germany a strong possibility.
“We will take anyone. Keep playing like we did today and we can challenge anyone,” he said.
Gray says Aidy Boothroyd’s men are desperate to continue a golden summer for the Football Association.
“The U-20s achievement was massive and gave us motivation to follow in their footsteps.
“To win something so big was nice to see. We saw their celebrations and want the same here.”