Daniel Farke, who has brought through Archie Gray and Mateo Joseph as first-team regulars, is not the first Leeds United manager to place his faith in young players.
Former Whites tactician Marcelo Bielsa was willing to lean on academy talent in times of need to come in and do a job if injuries or other circumstances meant that they were needed.
The Argentine boss handed professional debuts to 17 young players during his time in Yorkshire, with current first-team gems Jamie Shackleton and Pascal Struijk among them, along with Championship stars Leif Davis and Jack Clarke.
Not every one of those 17 starlets has gone on to enjoy successful careers at the top level, though, unfortunately, and goalkeeper Will Huffer is one who has had to drop down to the lower leagues.
Will Huffer's Leeds United career
The English shot-stopper came up through the youth ranks at Thorp Arch before an injury crisis in the goalkeeper position provided him with an opportunity to impress.
Bailey Peacock-Farrell and Jamal Blackman, who were the two first-choice options in that area of the pitch, were both injured ahead of a clash with Bristol City in the Championship in November 2018.
Just days before his 20th birthday, Huffer was handed his first-team debut for the Whites against the Robins and produced a solid performance between the sticks, as you can see in the table below.
Saves
1
Goals conceded
0
Punches
3
High claims
2
Duel success rate
100% (1/1)
The 6 foot 4 titan kept a clean sheet in a 2-0 win for Leeds in the second tier but it, unfortunately, turned out to be his only senior appearance for the club.
He made the bench, as an unused substitute, in eight matches throughout the rest of the Championship season. However, Huffer did not play a single match in any competition for the Whites before being released in the summer of 2020.
The young gem suffered from wrist and hip injuries ahead of his contract expiring that year, which meant that he did not have much of a chance to prove that there was a future for him in Yorkshire.
Where Will Huffer now plays
At the time of writing (14/03/2024), Huffer currently plays in the seventh tier of English football with Carshalton Athletic in the Isthmian Premier Division.
After being released by Leeds in 2020, the giant shot-stopper, who was brought through under Bielsa, spent six months in Non-League with Bradford Park Avenue before he secured a short-term deal with Bradford in January 2021.
However, he did not make a single appearance for the League Two outfit in any competition before being released at the end of the 2020/21 campaign.
Huffer then spent time with Stalybridge and Burgess Hill in Non-League before his move to Carshalton Athletic on a free transfer ahead of the 2023/24 season.
Now 25, the former England U17 and U18 international still has time to work his way back up the footballing pyramid, whether that is up to the top tiers of Non-League – in the National League North/South or Premier or back to the EFL.
Hopefully, if it is what he wants to achieve, the former Leeds starlet will progress in the years to come and forge a successful career for himself between the sticks before he retires.