The other way Mick McCarthy could go
By Glen Williams
07/04/2021
There is, of course, another way entirely Mick McCarthy could go.
After the loss up at Hillsborough, the manager alluded to perhaps blooding some of the younger players in the squad with a view to next season.
"If it was looking like the play-offs were out of reach, we would certainly be looking at maybe some of the younger lads and giving people a game," McCarthy said after the Sheffield Wednesday defeat.
"That's not the case as yet. We still want to pick up points."
While he insists Cardiff are not chasing a lost cause just yet, there could come a time when the manager decides to place faith in youth, with a number of exciting youngsters busting for their chance in the first team.
It could also be a useful exercise for the manager to see the likes of Lee Tomlin, who appears to be desperate to get back in the mix, towards the tail end of the season.
But for the next crop desperate to break through, the next month or so could be crucial for their development.
We have seen Rubin Colwill a number of times now, while the likes of Keenan Patten in midfield, Kieron Evans on the wing and even under-23s captain and centre-back Jack Bodenham, who is enjoying a top season, could be throwing their names in the ring.
January signings Max Watters and Jonny Williams will be hopeful of game time, too. The latter will, of course, have an eye on impressing ahead of the Euros. Elsewhere, loanees such as Jordi Osei-Tutu, Sheyi Ojo and Harry Wilson - who will all return to their parent clubs this summer - might just be pushed to the sidelines.
Everpresents such as Kieffer Moore, Will Vaulks, Marlon Pack and even Aden Flint could be afforded some respite in the last few matches, if there is next to nothing riding on them, following a gruelling few months.
We have already seen that McCarthy is keen to include the youngsters and a few of them might well feature at the back end of the campaign, with the bigger picture of what to do in the transfer market this summer now becoming a real consideration.
An alternative XI : Phillips; Sang, Morrison, Bodenham, Brown; Colwill, Williams, Patten, Tomlin, Evans; Watters.
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