As he gets ready for a first-time look at Sol Sidibe, Jaden Dixon, and Emre Tezgel on a matchday this evening, Narcis Pelach is working on a long-term strategy for them.

As Pelach makes changes to a starting lineup he has been fairly consistent with in the Championship, Stoke’s 17-year-old midfielder Sidibe, 17-year-old defender Dixon, and 19-year-old striker Tezgel are on standby to return to Stoke’s starting lineup at Southampton in a Carabao Cup fourth round match (7.45pm).

They had to wait patiently for their league opportunity, despite playing in a youthful squad that helped Stoke easily defeat Carlisle and Middlesbrough in previous rounds as well as at home against Fleetwood Town. Dixon has been an underutilised substitute, Tezgel has also been used from the bench, and Sidibe has only made one appearance under Pelach thus far.

“Of course we have to be careful always with young players,” stated Pelach. You cannot simply assume that they can enter and perform well all the time. As coaches, it is our responsibility to place them in the best possible conditions so they can perform and to have a plan and a program rather than just throwing them into the game to have a good time.

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The prospect of seeing them excites me. They are performing well during the training sessions. Naturally, there is much room for improvement, and we cannot move too quickly. Even though they are only 17 or 18, we have a strategy for them to grow, and perhaps they will play well for Stoke City in the future.

While they wait for a chance to make a claim, Sidibe, Dixon, and Tezgel train daily with the first team.

“They are with me right now,” Pelach stated. I made the decision that I wanted them all there during our regular training sessions. Sol Sidibe, Tezgel, and Jaden Dixon are training with the first team. Seeing them every day is pleasant. I’m content with them, but we need to be practical, so I don’t want to go too quickly.

“We have to accumulate points in the Championship, and young players require a learning process. We must strike a balance between helping them grow and accumulating points.” I don’t want to place them in a precarious position where they are solely accountable. I’m happy with what I’m seeing, but it’s step by step.

A fellow On loan at Walsall for the season, England juniors Nathan Lowe and Tommy Simkin are making an impression. Lowe has scored eight goals in his first 15 games, and Simkin, who recorded his sixth clean sheet of the year with a 0-0 draw at Accrington Stanley on Saturday, has helped the team move up to second place in the League Two standings, four points behind Port Vale with one game remaining.