Brighton Under-23 boss Simon Rusk has warned his youngsters they must be ready to grab their chance in Graham Potter’s first team if and when it comes along. The Seagulls are ready to give youngsters a chance when they feel the time has come and that was the case in the recent Carabao Cup game.
The Seagulls had 12 youngsters involved in the squad for the defeat to Aston Villa and eight of them were involved in the midweek Under-23 game this week in the Leasing.com Trophy win over Southend.
Head coach Rusk has warned the youngsters that first-team opportunities do not come around too often and the players must be ready to grasp their chances, as it could be 12 more months before they get another opportunity.
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Rusk says some chances come along because of injuries to other players in the first team and they must always be ready if that opportunity were to arise.
Rusk’s Under-23 side have beaten two League One outfits in the Leasing.com Trophy this season and he believes the experience will be invaluable to the players.
Two of Rusk’s Under-23s, striker Aaron Connolly and the versatile Steven Alzate, have become regulars in the first team and Rusk says it is the perfect motivation to the others that their chance will come if they continue to work hard.
He said: “It is nice that Steven and Aaron have got in and around it. “Obviously, that will naturally give the rest of the group belief, but really it is down to them and their standards. “It’s down to how hard they apply themselves or how hard they want to work. Ultimately that is the thing we encourage, that the players reflect upon themselves.”
