Crystal Palace manager Patrick Vieira hopes that Tuesday’s meeting with Manchester United can give his young players a chance to shine.
Speaking to the media on Monday, the former Arsenal midfielder spoke glowingly about the club’s philosophy on young players, with intentions of putting that on display in front of about 75,000 people at the MCG.
“I think the developing of young players and young talent is part of the DNA of the football club,” Vieira said.
“At Palace, you had a couple of young players who came through and made a good career for themself in the Premier League.
“Obviously, we were successful in that side last season because we identified some really young players and we created a platform for them to express themselves.”
With the likes of Marc Guèhi, Wilfried Zaha, and Eberechi Eze amongst those left back home in South London, the Eagles have travelled to Australia with a rather inexperienced squad.
Only seven players part of the travelling contingent played over 1,000 minutes for Palace in the league last term, with Danish defender Joachim Andersen, Spanish shot-stopper Vicente Guaita, and former Celtic striker Odsonne Édouard amongst the most experienced players in the squad.
As such, Vieira placed the onus on his younger players to fill the vacated spots left by their more experienced counterparts, as they look to force their way into the first-team squad for the upcoming campaign.
With a bumper MCG crowd expected, the Palace boss will look to see how his players will cope under pressure, whether they will thrive or fail when it matters most.
“Having those young players with us on the tour will tell us if they will be ready to take some part during the season.
“If not, we will need to find a way to give them the game program they need to play week after week to keep improving.
“[I want] to see personality on the field, because of course they have the talent, they are good players, but to show it in games against these teams is what is required.
“We are going to expose them and play them in front of 75,000 people, with a different kind of pressure, which is why I think to have them with us is really positive.”
Crystal Palace will square off against Manchester United on Tuesday night at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, with kick-off slated for 8:10pm Melbourne time.
