Rangers caretaker manager Kenny McDowall believes it will be difficult to pitch youngsters in to his struggling side.
The Ibrox club have just lost the services of their top young player after Lewis MacLeod joined Brentford in a £1m deal this week.
Robbie Crawford and Callum Gallagher are due back from loan spells at Morton and Cowdenbeath and could hand McDowall a fresh option as the Ibrox club aim to secure a play-off place.
But McDowall knows Ibrox can be an unforgiving environment when results aren’t going well.
He explained: “We’ve got a lot of good young players. But at this moment in time I’ve also got to be very careful with them. It’s a tough environment just now and we have to take care with the young players.
“Everyone wants to see young guys given a chance and I understand that. But you can also do a lot of damage to them if you pitch them in at the wrong time.
“I’ll need to put in a lot of careful thought about if and when I do give someone a chance.”
McDowall does admit the younger players sometimes don’t show the same fear as their more-experienced colleagues and might offer a fresh option. But he hinted the senior players are more than likely to be his first choice.
He said: “There always is that aspect to it. That’s fine and I appreciate it. But I’ve got senior players in there who are good players, they’ve been here a while and they know how to handle this kind of situation.
“It’s a tough situation we’re in at the moment. But these boys don’t become bad players overnight.
“They are lacking a bit of confidence. But we’ll get them back at it and the young boys are always there anyway on a daily basis.
“If I feel the need then I won’t be scared to throw them in. But I also need to do the right thing by them.”
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