Martin O’Neill has made clear that he will not back down from playing inexperienced players in next year’s Europa League should Aston Villa miss out on Champions League qualification in the final two weeks of the season.
The Aston Villa manager bore the brunt of criticism from fans after the Midlands outfit exited last year’s UEFA Cup at the hands of CSKA Moscow while fielding reserve and Academy graduates in the hope of speeding up their integration into first team matters.
This season Aston Villa were dumped out of the renamed tournament in the preliminary stages by Austrian side Rapid Vienna; a result which cost the club’s fans the opportunity to embark on a European adventure like Premier League rivals Fulham, Everton and Liverpool.
"I will make it clear to the Aston Villa fans what we will do if we are in the Europa League," O'Neill said in the Daily Express.
"The likes of Ciaran Clark, Marc Albrighton and Nathan Delfouneso would've been given a chance so that, come this stage of the season, you'd know precisely what they're capable of.
"That experience might come in really handy in the run-up in the Premier League. That's the theory. In practice there might be a Europa League game so important that you might have to go with your senior players.
"This is my thought process and, if we're in the Europa League next season, that is what we will do.
"If we're in the Champions League then try telling Richard Dunne, who has fought so hard to get this far, that he's not playing."