Chris Wilder's thumbs-up to Sheffield United's academy work

Chris Wilder's thumbs-up to Sheffield United's academy work as latest graduate prepares for Premier League debut

Transcript

00:00 You've spoken very favourably about some of the young kids coming through,

00:03 featured on the bench, people like Al Blaster and so on.

00:06 How tempted are you to throw some of them in now at this stage of the season?

00:10 Or is it just a time for sort of cold experience?

00:14 Yeah, well they're getting experience because they're part of the first team,

00:16 so they understand how we roll as a staff and what it's like to be a first team player

00:22 at a Premier League football club and at Sheffield United.

00:27 So they're getting to grips with that.

00:30 So that isn't always easy, the day-to-day expectations and standards

00:33 that we're placing on those players.

00:36 That doesn't mean that they don't have that in the academy.

00:39 I've got to say the work the academy does is fabulous and will continue to produce players,

00:45 no doubt, dominating our area and producing really good footballers.

00:49 Now the big step up is into the level that we're playing at.

00:53 So the boys are learning every day, the Al Blasters and the Brookes and the Soulers,

00:59 in terms of the coaching, in terms of who they're training with,

01:02 the environment they're in and the standards that are set.

01:05 Going back to your question, Damo, yeah, I mean, listen, it is tempting

01:09 and I suppose there'll be a few people that want us to chuck them in,

01:12 but I've just got to get the balance right as well.

01:16 And maybe if we were playing with a little bit more belief and a little bit more confidence,

01:21 that would ease them in a little bit easier and make that decision a little bit more easy.

01:27 But as you can imagine, it's still a situation, it's a pretty difficult one to deal with.

01:36 But if I feel the timing's right, I know I'm bold enough and brave enough to do it

01:42 and we'll get on with it.