Peterborough United will be hoping to bounce back to the Championship at the first time of asking following their relegation back to the third tier of English football.

Signing off their one-year spell in the second tier with an emphatic 5-0 victory over Blackpool, they have great cause for optimism under Grant McCann with their form towards the end of the season a potentially promising sign of things to come.

They may no longer have the stability of having Darren Ferguson at the helm - but McCann has begun his tenure at the Weston Homes Stadium in a promising fashion and already has League One promotion-winning experience under his belt with Hull City.

That will give many Posh fans great cause for optimism going into the 2022/23 campaign, even with the club likely to be working within a limited budget once again despite the sale of Siriki Dembele to AFC Bournemouth in January.

There could be more sales of first-teamers to come though with five squad members being placed on the transfer list and David Cornell, Serhat Tasdemir and Kyle Barker all being released.

This will enable others to step up in their place - and we have selected two Peterborough players to keep close tabs on during the 2022/23 campaign.

Benjamin Mensah

Next season could prove to be productive for right-back Mensah with Bali Mumba heading back to Norwich City following the expiration of his loan spell in Cambridgeshire.

Failing to make a single appearance for McCann's side this term, he will be disappointed not to have gained any further senior minutes after appearing three times last season, but has been the subject of interest from Tottenham Hotspur.

In fact, Spurs have even gone as far as launching a six-figure bid for his services, not an amount the relegated side's hierarchy will be willing to accept considering the fact Antonio Conte's side are Premier League giants and can afford to spend much more to lure the full-back to the English capital.

If the Italian-born defender remains at his current side, he will have the opportunity to impress a new manager during pre-season and although he may not begin the 2022/23 season as a regular starter, it will be up to him to force his way in.

And with his side dropping down to the third tier, he won't have a better opportunity to make his full breakthrough.

Harrison Burrows

At 20, Burrows is already a first-team regular, making 37 league appearances during the 2021/22 campaign and recording three goals and seven assists in the process.

That is an impressive record considering he was competing in a struggling side - and with the teenager likely to take the step down with his current side - he could tear the third tier apart next season.

The third tier may be at a better standard now than it has been in previous years, but it's still a considerable drop down and this is why Burrows could make a similar impact to Hull City's Keane Lewis-Potter who was an important figure in getting the Tigers back to the second tier during 2020/21.

Lewis-Potter registered 13 goals and six assists in the third tier that term and there's no reason why the left-winger can't have a similar impact next season, potentially then going on to be a hit in the second tier during 2023/24 if he can lead them to promotion.

You just hope he is played in a position where he can be most effective and get in and amongst the goals regularly - because even though the 20-year-old is versatile - he should be played on the wing unless he enjoys great success elsewhere.