Steve Clarke has hinted that he will give West Bromwich Albion's academy prospects the opportunity to impress him before the end of the season.
Izzy Brown was named on the bench for Albion's defeat at Chelsea last weekend. Had he been brought on, the 16-year-old would have become the Premier League's youngest ever player.
Albion's academy has been open for 10 years and manager Clarke has said that he is keen to bring the club's young talent through to the first team.
"Seven or eight years is not a long time to set it up and get it running," he told the Birmingham Post. "It would be nice to get one through and I'm not sure we can say we have done that at this point in time.
"The academy have a philosophy and a way of working that was shown to me when I came in. I like the way the academy operates and I think it's good for the young players to learn to play in a variety of positions and formations."
The Baggies are preparing to face Swansea City on Saturday afternoon.
Steven Toplis
