Caixinha to give youth a chance

PEDRO Caixinha has already given some of his development squad players a taste of first-team action, although the inclusion of Myles Beerman and David Bates was very much motivated by a necessity to fill jerseys, such were the injury problems facing the new Rangers manager.

Caixinha has hinted though that he may increasingly look to his youth department, particularly beyond this season, as he attempts to build competition within his squad in every position.

With the need to sell season tickets and provide more than the meagre resistance offered to Celtic this season, established names will still be sought, ready to go straight into the first-team squad. But Caixinha has at least given hope to the young talent working away at Murray Park, a commodity that was in short supply under previous manager Mark Warburton.

“I think when you have one squad without two players for each position it is unbalanced,” Caixinha said. “Otherwise individual players think, ‘I have no-one to push me. I have no reality about the competitiveness for my position.’

“In the NBA, the basketball, you have a first squad of five, but then you need the next squad to also be very strong. So they push the first five and if one of them has to step up then they are ready. That is what I am trying to create at Rangers.

“After tomorrow two youth players who are performing well will go with the first team for experience. So they will be having lunch, watching the meeting and seeing the work we do. It is part of the learning process. But it also depends on the quality of the player. You can organise the potential to be better but no more than that.

“Everything in life goes by cycles. And you see this with the youths when you can have a fantastic group. At Manchester United they had the tremendous group with David Beckham and the others that came at the one time. Then maybe you have

to wait 10 years for a group of such quality. We felt that some age groups of players here have a lot of quality but we have to have players that are interesting at all levels so we need a process to bring others over.

“We know we are doing well because we have [assistant coaches] Jose Belman’s son who is Spanish and Helder Baptista’s 12-year-old son with us and he tells us the training is better than he received in Portugal. So that is a good sign.”

Caixinha will have to get a quick grasp of the talent available as he prepares to put his own stamp on the squad. The question-marks over new contract offers for first-team stars such as Kenny Miller and Barrie McKay are near the top of his agenda, but he also wants to get a feel for who is ready to make the step up from Graeme Murty’s development squad to the first-team dressing room.

“We are assessing them all the time and knowing them day by day,” he said. “Myles and David have come into the team and other youth players we are watching every day as well.

“Some decisions will come faster than others and I will sit down on a one to one with the player. I will tell them my decision and that time will come in the near future. Of course, the players will be the first to know.”

I think when you have one squad without two players for each position it is unbalanced. Otherwise individual players think, I have noone to push me