Why Jos Luhukay should carry on turning to youth: Dom Howson's Sheffield Wednesday column

The Dutchman, a stickler for discipline, stressed he would give every member of his first-team squad a chance to impress.

His options are limited to some degree by their lengthy injury list but Luhukay has been true to his word. The former Borussia Mönchengladbach chief has given playing time to 18 players in his first two matches in charge.

And nearly a fortnight into his new job, Luhukay has made a positive start. Double training sessions along with plenty of team meetings have been introduced and Wednesday picked up a commendable draw away to Sheffield United and recorded a comfortable cup victory over Carlisle United.

What Luhukay has demonstrated in the small period of time he has been at the helm is he is prepared to give youth a chance. He has invited a handful of their academy prospects to train with the first-team and has shown he is not afraid to throw young players straight in at the deep end.

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Five of the matchday squad at Bramall Lane comprised of players from the Owls’ youth set-up. I bet you have to go back a number of years for the last time that happened in the league.

And Luhukay blooded some more kids on Tuesday, giving Hillsborough debuts to centre-halfs Frederik Nielsen and Connor O’Grady. Okay, Wednesday played against a League Two team and there will be much sterner tests to come but Nielsen, on his senior debut, and O’Grady didn’t look out of place.

Goalkeeper Cameron Dawson told me: “I was delighted for Freddie and Connor. It was great for them to start and I thought they were really solid.”

With Glenn Loovens suspended for tomorrow’s televised duel with automatic promotion contenders Cardiff City, there is a strong chance either Nielsen or O’Grady will feature from the start again.

Where I believe Carlos Carvalhal, Luhukay’s predecessor, partly went wrong was he didn’t put his faith in youth as much as he should have done. The Under-18s and U23s are on the up. There is an exciting crop of players coming through at S6.

“The Under-23s have done really in the last few years and if we can get some players into the first-team environment then it can only be a positive for the club,” Dawson said.

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Other than Joe Wildsmith and Dawson, Carvalhal hardly ever gave academy starlets an opportunity to prove their worth in the Championship. He mainly promoted youth in the cup competitions.

What made it increasingly difficult for Carvalhal was the pressure he was under to deliver instant success. He largely selected big-money signings and experienced pros.

But had he turned to the youth more, it might have helped buy him a little more time and breathing space with supporters. Fans love to see home-grown players make the step up but Carvalhal continued to keep faith with his senior men no matter what.

Wednesday are unlikely to go up or down so hopefully Luhukay will carry on placing his trust in youth over the coming weeks and months. The Owls have missed that blend of youthful exuberance and experience. There should be one eye on next season and Luhukay needs to decide which youngsters he will bring along for the ride.

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