Sunderland's under-21s enjoyed a season to remember and for some of Andy Welsh's side it could get even better.
With safety secured thanks to a dominant win over Everton, Sam Allardyce has revealed he plans to give a number of under-21 players the chance to impress when the Black Cats travel to Vicarage Road.
Jordan Pickford and Duncan Watmore, who have been part of the first-team fold throughout the season, are likely to feature, with Big Sam urging those provided with the opportunity to stake a claim.
“My idea is to play some younger players on Sunday,” said Allardyce. “The under-21s have had a great year and I think that some of them need to play in the team to see if they can cope at this level when the pressure is off.
“That’s not saying we will go there and lie down because I expect these lads to compete at this level and show why there may be a place for them in the squad in the future.”
He continued: “We have [Jordan] Pickford who is going to be a fantastic goalkeeper there is no doubt about that, but we need to find more and more youngsters from the academy and the only way to find out if they’re good enough is by trying them out.
“They need to go out and express themselves and that will give me an indication of whether they’re capable of competing in the squad next season.”
