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.