Wigan Athletic boss Leam Richardson has stated how he plans to ensure the younger players in his squad aren't over-exposed in the long season ahead.

A lot of youngsters coming through the ranks was one of the highlights of last season, and those youngsters are likely to be called upon this season by Richardson. Three of the standout players who emerged last season were Luke Robinson, Callum Lang and Adam Long.

In the Carabao Cup First Round victory over Championship Hull City last night, Robinson started the game, as well as Liverpool legend Jamie Carragher's son James making his professional debut just weeks after signing his first professional contract with the club, with his dad in the stands at the MKM Stadium.

Richardson's plan is to manage their development properly, making sure they can cope with playing in front of the hostile crowds and atmospheres now in the third tier, such as Sunderland, Portsmouth and Sheffield Wednesday.

After the penalty shootout win last night, the Latics are now preparing for their first home fixture of the season against Rotherham United, and it will also be the first competitive home game with fans in the DW Stadium since March 7th 2020, a week on from taking over 2,000 fans to the defeat by Sunderland.

As for the preparation with the club's youngsters, this is what Richardson had to say in an interview with WiganToday: "We’ve got a number of young players in and around the squad, and you have to be very careful in that situation.

“We’re asking them to play at places like the Stadium of Light, in front of 40,000 people, and Hillsborough with 30,000 people.

"Expectations in some quarters will be at a certain level, and I think it would be wrong to put too much pressure on those kind of lads. These are young lads who are still learning, and who just want to play football.

“Yes they’ve done great in pre-season, and they’ve supported a group that is relatively short in numbers. But at the same time, we need to be mindful of the criteria we’re asking them to fill over the course of a long season.”
The Verdict This shows great man management from Richardson in order to get the best out of his youngsters, as well as the knowhow that they will all be required at some stage across the gruelling League One campaign. Last night's game against Hull City was a good example, where they were playing in a fairly sized stadium but the crowd expectation for a Carabao Cup game isn't as intense as it would be in a league clash against the likes of Portsmouth and Sunderland. Having a plan that the youngsters believe in will also do wonders for their confidence as they progress into the first team, and that has been reflected in some of the performances of the likes of Callum Lang last season. Having a player that has progressed into the first team and then had a successful season will also give the younger players belief that they will be the next cabs off the rank.