Ole clearly has a lot of faith in young players – how important is it that the pathway is there for players to continue to come up through the Academy into the first team?

“I’ve said to a lot of the young players who have been with the first team: ‘Guys, you don’t know how lucky you are’. Unfortunately for us, we’ve had a lot of injured players and it’s therefore a big chance for the young players to be involved with the first team. They have the chance to do well and stay there. So I said to them: ‘Take this luck and take this opportunity because it’s important until the other players come back fit’. You never know, there could be an injured player and a young player comes in and plays a great game and they stay with the first team until the end of their career. So I’ve told them: ‘Guys, be ready and always take the opportunity’. If they have quality to be with the first team then why not take the opportunity and play and enjoy yourself?”

The likes of Brandon, Mason and others have been doing this haven’t they?

“Yes. Mason, since the first training session that I saw him in, and Brandie [Brandon Williams], Jimmy [Garner], Angel [Gomes], Chongy [Tahith Chong] and all the players. Axel as well, although I don’t see him as a young guy, for me, he has been in the first team for a long time, Timo [Tim Fosu-Mensah] as well, but the younger ones, they have the quality, they have everything to be in the first team. They’ve been playing and having some minutes and they should enjoy it when they’re on the pitch and work hard. Mason is scoring goals, Brandie has been playing games like he’s been there for six months already. This is about what the club is about and what the manager wants.”

Finally, these guys clearly look up to you…

“I feel old now!” [Laughs]

You’re only 26, but do you feel you can help them and advise them?

“I think and I hope I can help them. This is one of the biggest clubs in the world and maybe the biggest club in history and they have the chance to be in this club. So I say to them: ‘Take your chance, play, you are young, you have quality, you have nothing to be afraid of’. I hope I can give them the good example when I’m on the pitch and outside the pitch and, even though I don’t see myself as old, I hope that the young players will, one day, come and take my position [when I finish playing]. That’s how it is, I won’t play forever. We all give our best on the pitch and I hope these young players will become legends here at the club, they have to enjoy it and really appreciate the chance they have here.”

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