Newcastle United head coach Matthias Jaissle has admitted that giving opportunities to young players will be a "brave project" this season, but is confident the commitment of his squad can see it through.
Jaissle raised eyebrows by selecting 18-year-old Dutch youngster Sean Steur on his team sheet ahead of Joe Willock and Jacob Ramsey, while academy star Lewis Miley also started in the 2-2 draw with Liverpool at St James' Park.
Youngsters set for more chances
Aladji Bamba and Bazouma Toure are also expected to get their opportunity in the coming weeks. Jaissle has already brought fresh energy to the side, with the average age of the team having been in danger of creeping up last season.
Speaking about the young players, Jaissle said: "I am enjoying it already. I saw the young lads fighting for everything. There was commitment."
He added: "A good synergy with the fans. This is special, it's going to be a really cool season with big challenges as well. We're realistic, but we will go there."
Near miss against Liverpool
Jaissle's bold approach almost produced a stunning opening-day win over Liverpool. Reflecting on the match, he said: "We were so close to getting the three points, for sure. But there is also some brightness, definitely, because the guys were doing an amazing job for over 90 minutes."
He continued: "We are a young squad and they really left their heart on the pitch and this is something we can build on."
"I'm proud, we are proud to see a unit on the pitch. The guys were trying to do it the intense way that we wanted to play. Front-footed, vertical in our approach. This, after such a short amount of time, I'm really happy."
Commitment to the plan
Jaissle indicated he will not abandon his plans to keep giving youngsters opportunities, saying: "It's a brave project but I like the challenge, working with young lads, they were tired. Lewis Miley just came back from an injury but they did an amazing job and it's just about getting adapted to the league."
