Sheffield Wednesday youngsters to be thrown into the deep end – but ‘you have to earn your right’ says Lee Bullen

The exits of players such as Keiren Westwood, Jordan Rhodes, Tom Lees and several others is set to open a door to several youngsters on Wednesday’s books that now have a very real shot at making a name for themselves in the first team.

Players like Fisayo Dele-Bashiru, Alex Hunt, Ciaran Brennan and Ryan Galvin – all who played a handful of games in the last campaign – are likely to be given a real crack at things when they return to Middlewood Road on June 28th, with a number of others likely to be part of Moore’s preseason plans in the midst of a rebuild.

Lee Bullen who has worked closely with all of the up-and-coming youngsters in his role as U23 manager, thinks that those who have played already have proven their worth, but made special mention of Liam Waldock – who was a regular in the U23s in 2021/22.

When asked about the prospect of young players stepping up into the first team in the coming weeks, ‘Bully’ told The Star, “They’re being forced into it in some way, but you have to earn your right… I think a few of them have earned that right, against Fulham, and Exeter, and Everton and Rochdale.

“I’ve mainly worked with Liam Waldock more than any of them, because a lot of the others have been up there with the first team and dropped back in fleetingly.

“The attitude of Liam, to see his mates getting the exposure that he’s craving, has been really positive. He’s gotten 30/35 games under his belt because he’s been in the U23s, and you need that game time.”

He went on to say, “I think Darren is going to use the senior players with the U23s, and he’s shown that last season - it’s about getting the culture and attitude amongst the players, and getting them to buy into it.”

Wednesday’s first preseason friendly will take place in July against Celtic during their preseason camp in Wales.

Sheffield Wednesday players up the ante as return draws closer

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